The best museums Götaland

The Museum of Fine Arts has one of the first collections of international art in the country. It exhibits mainly Swedish and Nordic painters from the ^16th century to the present (Carl Larsson, Ernst Josephson, Ivar Arosenius, Karl Isaksson, Anders Zorn, Edvard Munch...), but also Dutch and Flemish painters from the ^17th century. The museum houses private collections, such as that of Fürstenberg, much admired for its Nordic light and fin de siècle melancholy. On the^first floor, an exhibition is devoted to art after 1945. On the^2nd and^3rd floors, sculptures (Rodin, Per Hasselberg, Johan Tobias Sergel, Henry Moore, Carl Milles...), graphics and drawings. The real masterpieces are exhibited on the^4th and^5th floors. Nordic art of the ^18th and ^19th centuries and the beginning of the ^20th century exhibits, among others, cheerful and rural oil paintings by the Dane Peder Severin Sekoyer (1851-1909), such as The Artists' Festival in Skagen, and funereal ones such as The Death of Charles XII, by Gustaf Cederström (1845-1933), the Double Portrait by Alexander Roslin (1718-1793), and many beautiful oil paintings by Anders Zorn (1860-1920) that show the soft light of the Nordic summers. Of particular note is Nils Forsberg's (1842-1934) terrifying and realistic Family of Acrobats in Front of the Circus Director. Among the more recent works, one should particularly note an oil painting by Odd Nerdrum (born 1944), the enfant terrible of contemporary Nordic art.

Here, different types of environments have been recreated that are home to many rare animal species. You can visit the exhibits in any order. The underwater life, with huge aquariums in which turn large sturgeons, beautiful rays and especially sharks; the deadly animals: behind glass walls, some of the most dangerous reptiles in the world; an area dedicated to the polar fauna; and especially the reconstruction of a tropical forest where you move freely, rubbing shoulders with small monkeys, caimans and iguanas.

The city museum, located in the building that once housed the offices and warehouses of the former East India Company (Östindiskahuset), is a combination of an archaeological museum, a historical museum, an industrial museum and a theater museum. Today it houses several historical collections evoking the life of Gothenburg from the Middle Ages to the present day, as well as temporary exhibitions on modern and contemporary Gothenburg.

Built in 1705 on the order of Admiral Count Hans Wachtmeister, the museum presents exhibitions on stonecutters, shipbuilding, navigation and fishing. The exhibits change regularly, so be sure to check the website. The museum is suitable for both adults and children. In the basement, in summer, the Greven café offers homemade cakes and quiches. After the visit, you can enjoy the beautiful baroque garden.

A remarkable museum that takes us back in time, from the first engraved stones dating from the^5th century to the reconstruction of a Gotland farm in the ^19th century, through the exceptional Viking treasures discovered in the north of the island and the geological curiosities of the "island of a hundred churches". Children will love the Ship o'Joy exhibition, where they can play together in boats, fishermen's huts and cargo ships. A small café and a store.

Malmö Castle is the heir of a first building founded by Erik of Pomerania in 1430 before being rebuilt a century later and occupied by the mint. After the return of Skåne to Sweden, the defenses were strengthened and a moat system dug. After the return of peace with Denmark, the building was converted into a prison and then into a museum in 1937. Of the castle itself remains, beyond the wooden bridge over the moat, a massive facade framed by two round towers, all built of brick.

In the courtyard, a modern building (also without lightness) houses four sections of the Malmö Museums (Malmö Museer). The restaurant Wega is located on Slottsholmen, right next to the main entrance of the Malmö Museums.

The Governor's House and the House of Technology and the Navy are located outside the castle. Between the museum and Kommendanthuset, there are some brightly painted wooden huts: this is the Fiskehoddorna, which serves as a fish market every morning.

Kontsmuseet (Museum of Fine Arts). Beautiful collection of Swedish landscape artists such as Carl Fredrik Hill (1849-1911). There are also contemporary works, notably by the sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd (born in 1934) and the Malmö-born surrealist painter Max Walter Svanberg (1912-1995). One room is devoted to a sketch made by the Dane Joakim Skovgaard for the mosaic of the cathedral in Lund. Beautiful collection of Russian paintings from the late ^19th century and representative works of Swedish design.

Historical museum. Documents, plans and objects tracing the history of Malmö Castle and focusing on life in Skåne in the ^17th century, when it became part of Sweden.

Aquarium & Tropicarium. Local fish and amphibians, but also (more exotic) gymnotes, better known as electric eels, and other piranhas.

Museum of natural history. Flora and fauna of Skåne, geology and paleontology with notably a dinosaur skeleton.

Kommendanthuset (the Governor's house). An ^{eighteenth-century} mansion that now houses exhibitions on photography. Right next to the Governor's house is a very nice little café serving organic and locally grown products (sandwiches, pies, salads, ice cream and homemade pastries).

Tekniken och Sjöfartens Hus (House of Technology and the Navy).

The main attraction of Varberg is of course the fortress that was originally established on this site at the end of the ^13th century, facing the North Sea, to protect the coast against the Danish invaders. At that time, it was nothing like the huge building we see today. It was then a wooden castle perched on the promontory. Over the centuries, and mainly between 1588 and 1618, the Danish king Christian IV had imposing walls built around the castle to protect it from the power of the new cannons of the time. The castle became Swedish again in 1645. Unprecedented in Scandinavia by its design, the fortress played an important role in the relations between the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark and Sweden until the ^19th century, when it lost its defensive role and became, in part, a prison. Prison that now houses the youth hostel. Since the beginning of the ^20th century, the place has become a museum.

The Länsmuseet is an integral part of the fortress. It offers interactive exhibitions that the visitor follows with an audio guide and, in high season, you will meet knights in armor, peasants and lords who walk through the streets and fortifications. Ideal for children.

The great annual market and the medieval days, the first weekend of July, are a perfect opportunity to visit the fortress, which finds for the occasion the buzzing and colored animation of the past centuries...

The purpose of the Volvo Museum is to preserve the history of Volvo and to make it known to the public. The museum is operated by the Volvo Car Group and the Volvo Group. Since the museum opened in 1995, the collection has grown steadily to showcase this national pride. In addition to the exhibits in the building, the museum has also built up a comprehensive archive of historical documents and images, providing a unique insight into the history of what has become one of Sweden's most successful companies.

A very original air museum, installed in a former underground military base. The place is rather unusual and is mainly aimed at aviation enthusiasts, young and old. You can discover all sorts of things about flying machines, their history, their performance... Get a small "Aeroseum" information card at a tourist office or in your hotel to have a free experience in one of the flight simulators! An unforgettable experience, for those who are not afraid of flying at least! Exciting!

A power station from the beginning of the 20th century that until recently housed the Rooseum contemporary art centre. Completely revamped by the architects Tham and Videgård, this magical place has been home to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art since 2009, which presents temporary exhibitions largely drawn from the permanent collections of its parent, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm. A must-see for art lovers!

The Textile Museum is located in the Textile Fashion Center, a large creative center that brings together students, professionals and visitors in one place dedicated to fashion. The first floor is dedicated to Borås' special connection to textiles, including an immersive exhibition that takes you on a tour of an old factory. Upstairs, you can discover temporary exhibitions of textile art and thematic retrospectives. A vast and very rich place, which will make you discover the textile under various facets!

The largest open-air museum in Sweden. There is a beautiful manor house, typical houses and a botanical garden, and at noon you can have a picnic on the grass. Animals graze in Fredriksdal's fields and hay is harvested in the meadows. Here, fields and forest coexist, town and country. The land is managed in an environmentally friendly way. The various routes allow you to learn more about southern Sweden and its people.

In 1844 the brothers Johan and Carl Lundström invented matches in Jönköping. The first production was phosphorus matches, but it was not until 1853 that matches as we know them today began to be produced, following an invention by the chemist Gustav Erik Pasch. This museum retraces the modern history of matches, as well as the way they were made, and exhibits boxes, models, books... since their invention.

There are exhibitions of local artists, as well as a permanent exhibition dedicated to John Bauer, an early ^20th century painter born in Jönköping. He became famous for his drawings in the Christmas books Bland Tomtar och Troll between 1907 and 1915. Much of his work depicts a fairy-tale world filled with trolls and elves. He died at the age of 35, when a ferry sank in Lake Vättern. A very nice museum in the region.

The largest floating museum in the world! You can learn a lot about life at sea, all in a fun way and without even having to leave the dock! You can visit a large military ship, a destroyer, barges, cargo ships, but also a real submarine. To recover from all these discoveries, you can sit down for a drink or a bite to eat in the museum's restaurant. In all, 19 ships and barges can be seen.

This museum of Nordic design is run by the Swedish Design Association (Svensk Form). A carriage gate of a Norman-style house on Lilla Torg square leads to a small paved courtyard dating from the ^16th century, Hedmanska Gården. On three levels, in rooms with white walls, wooden floors and beamed ceilings, one can admire temporary exhibitions that showcase the best of contemporary Swedish design, and question its relationship to current societal issues. The store and the café are also a pleasure for the eyes!

This site on the seashore presents a reconstructed Viking village, with houses, farms and crafts. To better understand the life of the "men of the North". A small exhibition inside informs visitors about the history of this mythical people. Cabins can be rented on site. The restaurant offers many hearty dishes, so you can eat with pleasure and in the Viking spirit! The museum is also the starting point for many excursions in the Falsterbo peninsula, so rent a bike and go on an adventure!

The entire history of East Skåne is reconstructed on three floors. On the ground floor, rock engravings, jewellery and tools evoke the life of the Vikings. On the^first floor, clothes, fabrics, jewellery and furniture from the 19th century are displayed. On the^second floor, tools and farming implements from the last century. The^third floor is entirely devoted to fishing activities in the Skåne region. You can learn more about Skåne than you can possibly know!

Adjacent to the Ystads Studio, where some of the episodes of the film Wallander were shot, this museum offers to discover the world of the ^7th art, from the creation of the script to the distribution, including special effects. You can even test the famous "green screen" and visit the reconstruction of the police station of Commissioner Kurt Wallander. A beautiful visit that will interest everyone, but especially fans of the big screen!

The Kulturen (opened in 1892) is comparable to the Skansen Museum in Stockholm, and is located on the edge of Lundagård Park, in a maze of small cobbled streets. The museum's grounds provide a shortened history of southern Swedish architecture. Small farmhouses, vicarages and dwellings have been reconstructed as they were originally, as well as a beautiful wooden church from the village of Bosebo in the province of Småland. The houses are open to visitors.