The best museums Svealand

ABBA The Museum is a museum dedicated to the famous Swedish pop group, from its creation in 1970 to its split in 1983, and its comeback in 2021. Since its opening in 2013, it is a hit, with nearly 300,000 visitors per year! You can discover costumes, instruments, golden records and other objects that belonged to the group, but also exact replicas of the places where ABBA lived and worked to take you closer to the life of the quartet. More than a simple museum, the place has been designed to offer a true immersive and interactive experience. The multiple devices available to visitors are regularly renewed to remain at the cutting edge of technology. During your visit, these devices will allow you to virtually try on the band's costumes, sing songs, create music, play quizzes and even slip into the skin of a fifth member of the band by performing on stage alongside the avatars of Björn, Agnetha, Benny and Frida. Finally, a new space takes you behind the scenes of the quartet's latest project: ABBA Voyage, a series of futuristic concerts in the form of holograms. For an even more interactive experience, rent an audio guide and let the band members tell you their stories!

Good to know: reservations on the site are highly recommended and only credit cards are accepted in the entire museum (including the store and restaurant).

It is a paradise for naval history and model ship enthusiasts. Here are exhibited reproductions of magnificent three-masted ships from the 19th century, merchant sailing ships and other warships, modern submarines, cruisers from the beginning of the 20th century... Photos, navigation objects of all kinds and paintings retrace the history of Swedish and international navigation through the ages. Few explanations in English (none in French).

It is a temple of cultures and traditions, of peoples and their rites of the 19th and 20th centuries. You will discover the ways of life through instruments, weapons, clothes, means of transport and other usual and ritual objects. You will see Indonesian masks, Chinese carnival costumes, an Inuit child's kayak, arrows and headdresses from Indian tribes, Beninese engravings... The sound and visual atmosphere allows you to immerse yourself in the different contexts.

A very beautiful museum, located in the bowels of Helgeandsholmen, under the old bridge (Norrbro), which will fascinate adults and children alike because it takes a playful look at history, from the ^13th century - when the city was founded on Stadsholmen - to the beginning of the ^16th century and Gustav Vasa's accession to the throne in 1523. A must for urban history buffs but also for those who want to discover the secrets of the Swedish capital's past.

Located since 1999 near Gustav Adolf Square, next to the Opera House and opposite the Royal Palace, the Dance Museum is easily accessible via the Kungsträdgården or T-Centralen subway stations. It is a unique museum that exhibits collections of costumes and sketches of the Swedish Ballet, but also Chinese, African, Thai, Russian outfits and masks... Temporary exhibitions deal with various themes related to dance.

The prospect of a visit to the Army Museum may seem a little daunting. Yet this museum, near Östermalmstorg, is not just located in a former arsenal built in the ^17th century. It is designed to captivate visitors, taking them on a journey through the ages, from 800 AD to the present day. From the Vikings to the Swedish army's peacekeeping missions, from the Thirty Years' War to the Cold War, the museum offers an exhaustive and captivating exploration of military history. For greater visibility, each zone corresponds to a century, providing a clear and accessible chronology. Far from being a mere display of weapons and uniforms, the large permanent exhibition showcases the actors of warfare over the centuries, thanks to some very fine reconstructions (the mannequins are sometimes frighteningly realistic!) and a highly polished sound system, immersing visitors in the atmosphere of the different eras. Medieval warriors, lords, nobles, dragon soldiers, cavalrymen of the Northern War, executioners, artillerymen... all come to life in the museum. In a separate room, the trophies and flags of the armies defeated by Sweden are on display. Among them, an imposing Danish flag measuring no less than seventeen meters by seven! On the first level, you'll find the temporary exhibitions. An audioguide is available in English, enabling you to listen to the history of the museum's various objects.

The Östasiatiska Museet is the museum of Far Eastern antiquities. The museum specializes in Far Eastern cultures, and has about 100,000 objects from Asian cultures. The history of the museum dates back to the early 20th century, when prehistoric Chinese pottery was discovered. Spread over several rooms, the permanent collection contains weapons, tableware, sculptures, and furniture, tracing the cultural and religious evolution of the cultures in question. You can also see temporary exhibitions.

Anders Zorn (1860-1920) is one of the most famous Swedish painters, and was certainly also the richest during his lifetime. This museum, which exhibits many of his works, is a feast for the eyes. The originality of this artist is to have approached various techniques with an equal talent in each. Pencil drawings, sculptures on bronze or wood, nude paintings, watercolors... This native of the city was undoubtedly one of the most gifted painters to highlight the characters of his paintings, and to reproduce the movements of the water. Simply magnificent!

The beautiful early 1960s brick museum building is located in the centre of Falun. It houses the permanent exhibitions. Dalarna is presented in a mixture of history and art, old and new. Favorite:

Folk paintings

inspired by dramatic tales with dragons or telling biblical stories. The painters used only fashion stereotypes as models.

The Dalarna horse room. Of all colors, from various periods, this collection is incredible.

Founded in 1792, the Nationalmuseum (then called Konglig Museum - Royal Museum) is one of the oldest museums in Europe dedicated to the fine arts. In 1866, it opened its doors to the public in its current form, housed in a building designed by the German architect Friedrich August Stüler.

Five years of work. Although the museum has undergone many changes over the course of its history, it is from 2013 onwards that the most important rehabilitation work will take place, lasting five years. When the museum reopens in 2018, visitors will discover a beautifully renovated space that is resolutely turned towards the future, with the aim of better preserving the works of the past. The collections have also been considerably enriched, and there are now no less than 700,000 works and objects, ranging from painting to design, drawing and engraving, that you can admire through a chronological display that will take you on a journey from the ^16th to the ^20th century. One of the major additions to the museum's collection is the Treasure Room, a room featuring part of the world's largest collection of miniature portraits (600 works visible out of the 5,700 in the collection). Design lovers will not want to miss a stop in the café and restaurant. Furniture, lighting, tableware... everything here has been created to order by the finest Swedish designers and craftsmen: a shining example of the country's know-how in this field!