The 17th century Vasa warship is at the heart of the popular Vasa Museum and one of the top sights to see in Stockholm and Sweden.
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm was built around the Vasa warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa was salvaged during the 1960s with a remarkable 98% of the woodwork surviving three centuries under water. It is the only complete 17th century ship on display in the world. The Vasa is worth a journey (and seeing the rest of this maritime museum is pretty interesting too). Buy Vasa tickets online in advance.
The Vasa was built during the Thirty Years War to become the flagship of Swedish King Gustav Adolf’s fleet. However, the mighty vessel with two gun decks sank half an hour into its maiden voyage in 1628. Although the cannons were salvage in the 1660s, the rest of the wreck was forgotten until a chance rediscovery in the mid-20th century. It was salvaged and reemerged from the sea after 333 years.
The Vasa Museum DjurgĂĄrden Island in central Stockholm was built around the Vasa warship that has an astonishingly 98% of the woodwork the preserved original. The rope work is new but some sails and clothing survived and are on display in the museum.
In contrast to common practice in the period of boarding and capturing enemy ships, Gustav Adolf placed more faith in artillery and was contend with the idea of simply sinking enemy ships. He thus demanded a ship that could carry 72 cannons, which required two gun decks rather than the normal single gun deck commonly used at the time.
Even before completion of the ship, some in the navy realized the ship was dangerously unstable. However, with the king not in Stockholm, no one felt able to warn him of the deficiencies of the vessel.
Fortunately for all involved, the king was away in Prussia fighting the Polish. An inquest was halted once the builders made it clear the ship was built according to the king’s personal wishes and approval. Hybertsson, who died shortly before completion, was mostly blamed but nobody was officially sanctioned and all senior figures involved continued and prospered in their careers.
Most experts agree that the ship was simply too narrow for its height and weight. The king’s insistence to add more cannon certainly contributed to the lack of stability but the main problem was placing the decks too high rather than the weight of the cannon themselves. Using the wrong kind of ballast didn’t help either nor did the open gun ports.
A second similar ship, The Apple, which was already under construction and thus not altered in response to the disaster, was only a meter wider and sailed without problems.
Attempts to raise the ship failed but in the 1660s, most of the bronze cannons were salvaged – these were worth far more than the ship. Two of the original cannons are on display in the Battle exhibition on level five, together with modern copies.
In 1956 the Vasa was rediscovered in an astonishingly complete condition – the front mast was even standing. The Vasa was raised in 1959 but only in 1961 lifted out of the water. The conservation and drying out process would take decades. The ship went on display in 1962 but only in 1990 moved into the special purpose-built climate-controlled museum where it is seen today.
The free half-hour guided tour is a great way to start a visit to the museum, as is the short video on the ship and its salvage. The video is constantly shown with all versions having at least English sub titles.
From here, ascent to the higher levels to admire especially the large numbers of sculptures that survived. Each floor has a variety of exhibitions to explain related themes such as the symbolism of the sculptures, how sailboats navigate, life on board, how the ship was originally built in the 17th century and preserved in the 20th.
Some of the unique items rescued from the Vasa include one of the ten original sails – it may be the oldest surviving sail in the world. Despite an impressive 32 square meters it was the smallest of the sails on board. Only four sails were in use on the fateful day of the Vasa’s sinking, which allowed some of the rolled up sails to survive the elements for three centuries.
The Vasa was a floating advertisement of Sweden’s naval might, a propaganda vessel without subtleness or humility – the Vasa was a symbol of the glory of the king.
Clearly the king was the heir to the Roman Emperors – during the Thirty Years War Sweden built an empire on the Baltic to rival other major European states. Other statues linked Gustav Adolf to Hercules and the biblical hero Gideon.
The “Imagery of Power” exhibition on the top level explains the symbolism of the adornments used on the Vasa. A further “Power and the Glory” exhibition on a lower level uses more painted sculptures to place the imagery of the Vasa into historic context.
The museum is open on Sundays and Mondays and most holidays except over Christmas and New Year. The museum is open as normal over midsummer.
Top Tip: Arrive early during the high season but during the quieter months try to arrive just in time for the free English guided tour. Alternatively download the free audio guide – available in a variety of languages.
Free wifi throughout the museum.
Tickets for the Vasa Museum are SEK170 (SEK150 for students) and free for children under 18. Buy Vasa tickets online in advance.
A Silver Ticket giving admission for a year is cheaper than two admission tickets at SEK200. A Golden Ticket (SEK300) allows admission plus entrance onto the deck of the ship itself during the second year of holding the season ticket and every seventh subsequent year.
The Stockholm Pass is valid and gives priority admission. Combination packages including tours, boat trips and other sites with Vasa Museum priority admission are also available from for example Get Your Guide.
Tram 7 from the center as well as bus 67 stop nearby at the Nordiska Museet / Vasamuseet stop, while bus 69 and 76 stop just off the island at bus stop DjurgĂĄrdsbron.
The closest metro station is Karlaplan on the red line. From here take bus 67 or walk in about ten minutes – consider stopping in the fantastic free Swedish History Museum en route – lots of Vikings and treasure!
The most pleasant way to arrive at DjurgĂĄrden is by ferry from Slussen (all year) or during summer from Nybroplan. Many hop-on-hop-off boat services also call here. It is a pleasant five-minute walk from the ferry landing to the Vasa Museum.
Several further major tourist sights are on DjurgĂĄrden Island. The Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet) is a giant in Swedish applied arts while the huge Skansen open-air museum with a zoo is just uphill. On the waterfront is the Junibacken for children into Pippi Longstocking and other Astrid Lindgren characters. Several further boats of the Swedish National Maritime Museum are moored here with free admission to all.
Near the ferry landing is the ABBA Museum – advance time-ticket purchases generally essential – a further entrance to Skansen and the Gröna Lund fun-fair park.
Don’t miss the Swedish History Museum – about five minutes stroll up the main road back on Östermalm. It has more historical information on the Vikings (and other eras) than other widely advertised Viking exhibitions and is completely free.