Nordiska Museet Stockholm – The Nordic Museum Of Daily Life

Located at the island of Djurgården it’s a building that’s impossible to overlook. The renaissance-style palace is just next to Djurgården bridge.

Founder was Artur Hazelius, who also started the open air museum Skansen. When he began the Nordic Museum in 1873 it was located on Drottninggatan, central Stockholm. The current palace took 19 years to build and was opened in 1907. Sadly, Hazelius died six years before.

When I went to the Nordiska Museet Stockholm I was not planning to stay for a long time, but the impressive collection kept me there for hours. There’s so much to see, and since most of it is related to daily life, be it of the past, it appeals to every one to some extent.

The video below (made by Anton Withagen) gives you a short impression. Press the Play button in the screen or in the player controls on the bottom left.

So, what is there to see?

• fashion and garments from the mid 18th century until the present day
• table settings from the 16th century to circa 1950 (much of this is featured in the video above)
• photographs of Swedish life in the past
• household objects of all kinds, including toys
• an exhibition about traditions and festivals
• shoes from the 17th century to the present day
• examples of Swedish interiors and interior design from 1870 to 2000
• a gallery with textiles
• a permanent exhibition of Sami life (opening November 2007)

You can also see also photographs he took as well as some of this original manuscripts, including the one of his play Miss Julie.

And there’s another famous Swede in the Nordic Museum. In the entrance hall you are greeted by a wooden sculpture of the country’s first king Gustav Vasa. The gilded statue was made in 1924 by Carl Milles. It’s prominently shown in the video above.

When you visit the Nordiska Museet Stockholm you can borrow an audio guide (available in English too) that will show you around in about an hour.

Admission to the Nordiska Museet Stockholm is free for holders of the Stockholm Card. You can reach the Nordic Museum by bus (lines 44 and 47), subway/underground (to Karlaplan, walk from there) and tram (from Nybroplan and Norrmalmstorg).