Skansen

Skansen is the world' s oldest open-air museum and also the home of the Stockholm Zoo and this makes it one of Stockholm's most visited tourist attractions. It’s best to buy the yearly entry ticket (295 kr for a full year or 220 kr per entry per adult), so even if it’s only for 2 entries, it’s still more convenient. Skansen is showcasing the whole of Sweden with houses and farmsteads from every part of the country, as their own website describes it. It is home to many animals and birds - from reindeers, bears and mooses - to owls, peacocks and parrots. There is also an aquarium, a funicular railway, the Baltic Sea Science Center and a children’s zoo. The cafes, playgrounds, gardens with roses or herbs, give you the possibility to spend all day long here and to come back and still to discover another hidden spot yet on the area of approx. 75 acre (300,000 m²).

Because of its location on a higher platform, it also offers great views of the city.

View on Nordisla Museet from Skansen

The historical buildings in Skansen come from almost all Swedish landscapes and are arranged from south to north according to their geographical origin. In addition to the rural buildings, there is also a historical district that represents a replica of a small 19th century town. Here you can find a pharmacy, a post office, an ironmongery and a bakery, as well as all kinds of workshops, in which craftsmen in traditional dress such as tanners, shoemakers, silversmiths, bakers and glass-blowers demonstrate their skills in period surroundings.

Replica of a small 19th century town

Skansen Map

Hallestadsstapeln

Small Store

Vastveit Storehouse

This is one of the oldest buildings at Skansen. It was erected in the 14th century and comes from the farm of Vastveit in Telemark in Norway. It is the only building at Skansen that is not of Swedish origin. When Hazelius acquired the building Sweden was still unified with Norway. The union with Norway ended only in 1905.

The Stone cottage (Stenstugan)

Is situated on a slope close to the two storehouses on their supporting poles belonging to the Delsbo Farmstead. It was built at Skansen in 1891 using labourers’ cottages from the west of Blekinge as a model and it shows how poor people were obliged to live in southern Sweden during the 19th century which was a time of rapid population growth. The building consists of a single room with furnishings and fittings of the most elementary sort. The people living in such cottages owned no land.

The Brage Hall

We had the chance to attend a circus performance at the Brage Hall, it was quite amateurish, the actors all being very young, but dedicated. The cca. 30 minutes performance was just enough to entertain our toddler.

There are many other interesting houses and constructions in Skansen I recommend exploring and discovering them by your own. I can tell you a lot about why I love Skansen so much, but for now let the photos speak for themselves:

Vastveit Storehouse in Skansen

Stone Cottage in Skansen

The Brage Hall

To finish this post I would like to say that in my opinion Skansen is one of the main things to do in Stockholm. It really impressed me, from the fact that the museum is on a higher platform and it gives you a nice view of the city to the fact that there is so much to do and discover there. Skansen like Stockholm in general is a place where you travel in time, a place where you find peace because everyone who visits Skansen are happy and they are having a great time.

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Hallestadsstapeln in Skansen

Skansen

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