Vasa Museum in Stockholm: photo, ticket price, Vasa Museum address, how to get there

The Scandinavian countries have been famous for their achievements in the field of shipbuilding and navigation since the time of the Vikings. The ancient traditions of conquering the sea are well entrenched here and have developed to the present day. It is no coincidence that the Norwegian Amundsen visited the South Pole for the first time, and his countryman Nansen brought humanity closer to the North Pole.

Sweden also made a significant contribution to shipbuilding, which did not have its own fleet until the 16th century. However, under King Gustav Vasa, a flotilla of 30 fairly powerful ships was created.

An example of a huge wooden warship is the royal galleon Vasa, conceived as the flagship of the Swedish fleet and launched on August 10, 1628. It was built by order of Gustav II Adolf, who was directly involved in the design of the vessel through the orders that he gave to the chief civil engineer Hubertsson, who led 400 workers.

Ship Description

Vasa, the only surviving sailing ship of the 17th century in the world, had incredible dimensions: the height of the masts was 52 meters, the ship weighed 1200 tons. Since the ship was a military ship, the king gave the order to install as many cannons as possible: 63 bronze cannons were installed on two massive decks as a symbol of the military power of Sweden.

Shipwreck

Miscalculations in the size and design of the ship played a fatal role in its fate: immediately at the exit from the harbor, it was knocked over by the wind on its side, and the water rushing over the sides flooded the ship. At this time, the crew and passengers invited to the solemn descent of the galleon were on it. Some of them sank along with the ship.

The ship sank to a 30-meter guinea, and the masts stuck out above the water like guard posts, thanks to which 53 guns were lifted from the Vasa. This operation cost incredible human efforts and even lives, but such was the order of the king.

Lifting a giant ship

At that time, lifting such a colossus was technically impossible: the masts were cut off the ship, and the ship remained at the bottom for more than 3 centuries. The story of the largest sailing ship of the 17th century was forgotten for a long time, but in 1956 a meticulous explorer of the underwater depths, archaeologist Anders Fransen discovered the remains of the ship. After a 5-year survey of the ship, he organized an active lifting campaign; the decision was made at the state level, and with the support of the royal authorities in 1961, numerous parts and the ship's hull were freed from silt and raised up.

This event became a sensation not only for Sweden, but also for other countries: the raising of the remains of a huge sailboat attracted the attention of specialists and ordinary people. In April 1961, a new life began for the infamous ship. For almost 30 years, restoration has been going on, on which dozens of engineers and skilled workers have worked, restoring a sample of a ship that has become a victim of royal vanity. For several years, the whole tree was impregnated with polyethylene glycol, which did not allow it to crack when dried. Then the restored 700 sculptures and hundreds of other wooden decorations were fixed in their original places.

After completion, it was decided to make a museum-ship, a three-story building was erected above the ship, the area of ​​u200bu200bwhich allowed you to freely bypass Vasa from all sides. In 1990, the Vasa Museum was officially opened on the island of Djurgården, which has become a place of active visits by tourists and local residents.

Along the way, we suggest you read the article on purchasing cheap air tickets.

The main exhibits of the museum

The general view of the sailboat impresses with its size and luxury of decoration, which testifies to the truly royal scale in its manufacture. All details are made with extraordinary artistic elegance, the bow of the ship is decorated with magnificent ornaments and bronze sculptures depicting sea goddesses. Shown here are 6 unused sails recovered from the silt and are a sample of the sails of that time.

On the sides there are figures of biblical characters, gods of ancient Greece, lions, Roman emperors and various attributes of royal power, personifying its power and culture during the reign of the Vasov dynasty. Even on the shutters covering the square portholes, spectacular lion muzzles are filigree carved. Gilding and red paint have been preserved on many details of the jewelry, which testified to the bright coloring of the legendary ship.

According to the rich decoration of the interior, the ship was a real luxurious palace with comfortable cabins and common rooms for passengers. The skeletons of dead people placed under a glass sarcophagus are carefully preserved for posterity; working tools of the team: axes, saws, chisels, hammers – everything that the crew was supposed to use in navigation.

The Vasa ship is a living evidence of the epoch of the 17th century, and the curators of the museum are faced with the task of preserving it for many years, so now all methods are being taken to prevent damage to the giant. The museum is visited by millions of people who want to see with their own eyes a priceless monument of a bygone era.