Stockholm Sightseeing III
The third part of my little sightseeing tour for this series of posts is the Vasa Museum on the island of Djurgarden. I will say that this island is a particular favorite of mine, and most others who visit I imagine. Almost the entire island is dedicated to parks, museums, and recreation, it is simply amazing!
I prioritized the Vasa Museum over others on the island, such as the Abba Museum, but I will go back and play sometime in the near future. I had seen Rick Steves rave about the Vasa, so I knew if I had to see only one museum on the island it would be this one. It truly did not disappoint.
The museum was built to house the reconstructed wreckage of the ill-fated maiden voyage of King Gustav II Adolf’s Vasa warship. It was built to his exacting aesthetic standards, and not those of experienced ship builders of the day. It was those same shipbuilders who predicted its demise, and not even an hour into its first voyage it sank into Stockholm harbor. It was the clay content beneath the fresh water mixing with sea water that ended up preserving her, and as a result we have the most complete reconstruction (98% original) of a ship of its kind from the 17th century (1628 to be exact).
The pictures below are some that I took during a guided tour with other English speakers. The tour is about 45 minutes and well worth the price of admission to learn about the history of the making of the ship, as well as the ongoing efforts to preserve her.