Skansen is a Stockholm attraction that was founded to
capture life in rural Sweden prior to the country’s industrialization (which mostly began in the
late 19th Century). If this description sounds familiar, you might have seen something in a
previous page about the Nordic Museum, which can
also be found on the Stockholm island called Djurgården. Skansen was opened in 1891, not long
after the Nordic Museum (1873), and was founded by the same person, Artur Hazelius.
Artur Hazelius
During travels in the 19th Century, Hazelius noted that Swedish folk culture was being
diminished by the forces of modernity, and founded these institutions in order to preserve
a long-established but fading way of life for future generations. But while the Nordic
Museum mainly preserved handicrafts, Skansen was more ambitious, eventually occupying 75
acres with actual 18th and 19th Century structures rescued from various locations within
Sweden and populating them with people (in period clothing) who could explain different
facets of life in pre-industrial Sweden to visitors, and who could demonstrate the basics
of some of the vital trades that occupied the Swedes of the time. Hazelius's idea turned
out to be popular, as well as educational – more than 1.3 million people visit Skansen each
year. This doesn’t make it the most-visited attraction in Stockholm, however – its numbers
are exceeded by the Vasa Museum (1.5 million), but not by much.
Getting to Skansen isn’t difficult - it has its own stop on tram line number 7. It’s also
within easy walking distance of other popular attractions, including a museum devoted to the
ABBA musical group and a small amusement park called Gröna Lund. But we didn’t get a chance
to visit these places, heading directly for the Skansen entrance on the opposite side of the
tracks.
Bob and Skansen Entrance
Just inside the gate, there are some shops and some displays introducing visitors to the park.
One of these displays is a small scale model of the grounds.
Skansen Entry Area
Model of Skansen
First we headed up to a small village, reconstructed from buildings relocated from various
points in Sweden. The buildings are configured as shops or work establishments from the
19th Century. It’s possible to buy products from the shops (e.g. hammers from the hardware
store or pastries from the bakery).
Furniture Factory, from Virserum
Bob and Engineering Works, from Stockholm
Inside the Engineering Works
Hardware Store
Inside the Hardware Store
Bakery, from Stockholm
Bakery Products
Bakery Product
We continued uphill and passed some interesting structures along the way.
Corn-Chandler's Summerhouse, from Stockholm
Tulips
Windmill, from Öland
Bob and Öland Windmill
At the top of the hill we found an amphitheater, which wasn’t in use at the time. From the
area of the amphitheater, we had a nice view of the harbor.
Amphitheater
Nella with Cannon and Windmill
Bob with Harbor and Gröna Lund
Entrance with Harbor and Gröna Lund
Continuing our way through the park, we found the following small, temporary-looking building.
A sign described this as a Story Cottage, explaining that visitor stories and memories were
collected here. This was apparently a one-year-only thing, and it didn't seem to be open.
Story Cottage
Along the pathway, we found a signpost pointing to Skogaholm Manor (among other attractions).
Skogaholm Manor is a large manor house from Skogaholm, a place in central Sweden to the west of
Stockholm. The main building dates from 1680, but acquired its present appearance during a
remodel in the 1790s. The manor was situated on a sizeable farm, and included a number of
utility buildings. All of this required a substantial workforce, which would have lived nearby.
Signpost
Skogaholm Manor
Fatburen Storehouse
Just outside the Skogaholm grounds is another windmill, this one from the Främmestad parish,
over near Sweden’s west coast, in the vicinity of Gothenburg. The Främmestad windmill was
built in 1750, and was moved to Skansen in 1900. It was used to grind corn.
Bob with Främmestad Windmill
Inside the Främmestad Windmill
Past the windmill there was an early 20th Century schoolhouse, called the Väla School. The
building also served as the home of the teacher’s family. Teachers were not paid particularly
well, and supplemented their income (and diet) with fruits and vegetables grown on the school
grounds, plus honey from beehives kept in the garden. The schoolhouse also came from the
Gothenburg area.
Väla Schoolhouse
Flowering Tree
Väla Schoolroom
Teacher's Living Room
Near the schoolhouse we found a wooden tower called the Hällestad Belfry. At 40.5 meters, this
is the tallest wooden belfry in Sweden. It was built in the 1730s, and was donated to Skansen
when the church it belonged to burned down. It comes from Hällestad, about 80 miles southwest
of Stockholm.
Hällestad Belfry
Moving in the opposite direction from the belfry, we found the Hornborga Cottage, also from the
vicinity of Gothenburg. This cottage was a typical home of a landless owner. It’s L-shaped and
provides shelter for both a small family (one person in this case) and its meager livestock (a
cow and two sheep when last populated). The cottage’s roof is made of thatch and turf. Its
last owner eked out a living by fishing and mending shoes.
Hornborga Cottage
Just beyond the cottage, we came across the Seglora Church, also from near Gothenburg. The
church was first built in 1730, and was slated for demolition at the time it was rescued in
1916. It’s still a popular place for weddings.
Seglora Church
Churchyard Wall with Geese
Near the church there’s a small market street, where snacks and souvenirs can be purchased.
Market Street
Just past the church is the Kyrkhult Farmhouse, from the far southern part of the country.
The farmhouse has multiple rooms, and was used for storage of grain, in addition to living
quarters. It dates back to the beginning of the 19th Century, and was acquired for Skansen
in 1891. We also had a good look at a peacock which was loitering nearby.
Nella and Kyrkhult Farmhouse
Kyrkhult Farmhouse
Peacock
Continuing up the road, it was impossible to miss the 98-foot tall Bredablick Tower, built
on top of a 150-foot hill. The tower was built of brick on its present site between 1874 and
1876 by a Doctor F.A. Wästfelt, who also planned a sanitorium on the site, which he felt to
have healthful properties. But apparently not financially healthful, as the tower was
acquired by Skansen in 1891 (at least one structure that didn’t have to be imported). During
our visit, the tower was covered in scaffolding, but apparently it’s normally used as a café
and (of course) a viewpoint, while providing a certain amount of office space.
Bredablick Tower
At this point, we started making our way back toward the exit. On the way, we noted some of
the animal life to be seen in Skansen. There is a small children’s zoo, in addition to a
number of ponds which are frequented by some of the local waterfowl.
Entrance to Children's Zoo
Pond with Waterfowl
As it was late spring, colorful flowers were also to be found throughout the park.
Flowers Near Exit
We left the park and returned to the tram stop at which we’d arrived earlier, where we waited
for a tram headed back in the opposite direction. This took us back off Djurgården to the
mainland, on the way passing the Blue Gate near the bridge.
The Blue Gate (Blå Porten)
We returned to the hotel, finding some lunch on the way, and spent the rest of the day resting
and doing a little laundry and being generally uninteresting (even less interesting than usual!),
but we had plans to make up for our lack of activity the following day, which would be our last
in Sweden. We would be starting with a return to the Royal Palace and a visit to the Royal
Armoury.