Stockholm

Tues 8 June

Skansen Open Air Museum

The 19th century was a period of great change throughout Sweden, its rural way of life was rapidly giving way to an industrialized society and many feared that the country's many traditional customs and occupations may be lost to history. Artur Hazelius, who had previously founded the Nordic Museum on the island of Djurgården, (the Vasa Museum is now just behind it), was inspired by the open air museum founded by King Oscar II in 1881 when he created his open-air museum on the hill that dominates the island. Skansen became the model for other early open-air museums throughout Scandanavia and later, ones elsewhere. The name "Skansen" has also been used as a noun to refer to other open-air museums and collections of historic structures.

Skansen was originally a part of the Nordic Museum, but became an independent organization in 1963. The objects in the Skansen buildings are still the property of the Nordic Museum.

After extensive travelling, Hazelius bought around 150 houses from all over the country (as well as one structure from Norway and had them shipped piece by piece to the museum, where they were rebuilt to provide a unique picture of traditional Sweden. Only three of the buildings in the museum are not original, and were painstakingly copied from examples he had found. All of the buildings are open to visitors and show the full range of Swedish life from the Skogaholm Manor house built in 1680, to the 16th century Älvros farmhouses.

The many exhibits over the 35 hectare site include a full replica of an average 19th-century town, in which craftsmen in traditional dress such as tanners, shoemakers, silversmiths, bakers and glass-blowers demonstrate their skills in period surroundings. Also in the village there is an open air zoo containing a number of Scandinavian animals and small farms with rare breeds of farm animals.

What more can I say about Skansen, we arrived at 10:00 am to find hundreds of primary school children waiting to enter, today is the last full day of the school year. We were about the tenth persons into to site and walked and walked, leaving after seven hours after covering (we think) the entire park.

The buildings range from the early 1600s up to around 1930 and all the staff in the houses, farm houses and other building are dressed in the fashion of the era of the building. Skansen is like a Swedish version of Sovereign Hill, I suppose I should say Sovereign Hill is an Australian version of Skansen as it was started 80+ years after Skansen.

The buildings contain original furnishings and decorations and it is interesting to compare the décor depending on the wealth and standing of the family living there. Buildings range from a Manor House, merchants and tradesman’s houses, farm houses and cottages belonging to the very poor. I have posted some examples of the houses.

Also in the park are enclosures containing some of the native animals, several species were extinct in the wild and using animals from Skansen these animals are making a comeback. Included in the display are European Bison, Elks, Wolves, Wolverines, Lynx and many other Swedish native animals.

As this was our last day in Stockholm we gained a good understanding of life in the country areas from hundreds of years ago.