Sights in Sweden
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Vasamuseet
The mighty warship Vasa, 69m long, 160ft tall and pride of the Swedish crown, set off on her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Within minutes, she and her 100-member crew capsized and sank tragicomically to the bottom of Saltsjön. Painstakingly raised in 1961, the ship and its incredible wooden sculptures were re- assembled like a giant 14,000-piece jigsaw and housed in an amazing purpose-built space. Salvaged objects from the ship, including shoes, cannonballs and pillboxes, provide a vivid glimpse into the lives of 17th-century sailors, but none more so than the forensically reconstructed faces of the ill-fated passengers. Guided tours in English run hourly from 9.30am…
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Liseberg Funpark
The Liseberg fun park is dominated by its futuristic spaceportlike tower. The ride to the top, some 83m above the ground, climaxes in a spinning dance and a breathtaking view of the city. The other amusements and rides seem tame by comparison but there's no lack of variety. You can buy a pass that allows you to ride the attractions all day. There are often summer shows and concerts staged here.
Opening hours are complex but the season generally runs from late April to early October (and also in the weeks leading up to Christmas) - check the website. Tram No 5 takes you there.
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Falu Kopparbergsgruva
Falun's copper mine, Falu Kopparbergsgruva was the world's most important by the 17th century and drove many of Sweden's international aspirations during that period. Today it's on Unesco's World Heritage List and makes for a fascinating day out.
Tradition says that a goat called Kåre first drew attention to the copper reserves, when he rolled in the earth and pranced back to the village with red horns. The first historical mention is in a document from 1288, when the Bishop of Västerås bought shares in the company. As a by-product, the mine produced the red paint that became a characteristic of Swedish houses and Falu Red is still well-used today. The mine finally closed…
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Carl Larsson-Gården
Whatever you do, don’t miss Carl Larsson-gården, home of artist Carl Larsson and his wife, Karin, in the picturesque village of Sundborn. After the couple’s deaths, their early-20th-century home was preserved in its entirety by their children, but it’s no gloomy memorial. Lilla Hyttnäs is a work of art, full of brightness, humour and love. Superb colour schemes and furniture fill the house: Carl’s portraits of his wife and children are everywhere, and Karin’s tapestries and embroidery reveal she was as skilled an artist as her husband. Even today, the modern styles throughout the house (especially the dining room) will inspire interior decorators, and the way the family…
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Slottet
The magnificent Slottet now serves as the county governor’s headquarters. While the castle was originally constructed in the late 13th century, most of what you see today is from 300 years later. The outside is far more dramatic than the interior (where the castle’s conference business is all too evident). Parts of the interior are open for exhibits, but to really explore you’ll need to take a tour; there’s a historical one at 4.30pm (in Swedish or English, depending on numbers) or ‘Secrets of the Vasa Fortress’ at 2.30pm (in English), which is a slightly toe-curling piece of costumed clowning around. Book either one through the tourist office. The northwest tower holds a…
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Junibacken
Junibacken whimsically recreates the fantasy scenes of Astrid Lindgren’s books for children. Catch the flying Story Train over Stockholm, shrink to the size of a sugar cube, and end up at Villekulla cottage where kids can shout, squeal and dress up like Pippi Longstocking. The bookshop is a treasure trove of children’s books, as well as a great place to pick up anything from cheeky Karlsson dolls to cute little art cards with story-book themes.
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Domkyrkan
Lund’s twin-towered Romanesque cathedral, Domkyrkan, is magnificent. Try to pop in at noon or 3pm (1pm and 3pm on Sunday and holidays) when the marvellous astronomical clock strikes up In Dulci Jubilo and the wooden figures at the top whirr into action. Within the crypt, you’ll find Finn, the mythological giant who helped construct the cathedral, and a 16th-century well carved with comical scenes.
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Kulturen
Kulturen, opened in 1892, is a huge open-air museum filling two whole blocks. Its 30-odd buildings include everything from the meanest birch-bark hovel to grand 17th-century houses. Permanent displays encompass Lund in the Middle Ages, vintage toys, ceramics, silver and glass (among many others); ask about guided tours in English. The popular outdoor cafe flanks several rune stones.
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Nordiska Museet
With its flouncy turrets and neo-Swedish Renaissance looks, Isak Gustav Clason’s iconic building is hard to miss. Inside is a collection of all things Swedish, from Sami folklore to eclectic exhibitions of Swedish fashion, shoes, interiors and even table settings. The museum owns the largest collection of paintings by August Strindberg and the audio tours (Skr20) are nothing short of satisfying.
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Norrbyskär
The island of Norrbyskär, 40km south of Umeå, is a worthwhile destination. It has an interesting history - a sawmill community was built up here from nothing in less than 10 years, only to disappear just as suddenly 10 years later. There is a museum as well as other attractions; buses run to and from Umeå to Norrbyn, to connect with ferries - inquire at the tourist office for times.
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Royal Palace
The 'new' Royal Palace is one of Stockholm's highlights; it was constructed on the site of the 'old' royal castle, Tre Kronor, which burned down in 1697. The north wing of the castle survived and was incorporated into the new palace, but its medieval designs are now concealed by a baroque exterior.
With 608 rooms, it's the world's largest royal castle still used for its original purpose.
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Historiska Museet
Behind the cathedral, Historiska Museet has a large collection of pre–Viking Age finds, including a 7000-year-old skeleton. It’s joined with Domkyrkomuseet, which explores the history of the church in the area; the rooms filled with countless statues of the crucified Christ are supremely creepy.
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Zorngården
The Zorn family house, Zorngården, is an excellent example of a wealthy artist’s house and reflects Zorn’s National Romantic aspirations (check out the Viking-influenced hall and entryway). Access to the house is by guided tour (every 15 minutes in summer; phone ahead for English tours).
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Kronobergs Slott
In 1542, the Småland rebel Nils Dacke spent Christmas in Kronobergs Slott, now a ruin. The 14th-century castle is on a small island (reached by footbridge) in photogenic Helgasjön lake, about 8km north of the town.
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Haga District
The Haga District, south of the canal, is Göteborg's oldest suburb, dating back to 1648. In the 1980s and '90s, the area was thoroughly renovated and now includes shops and restaurants.
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Samegården
Samegården has displays about Sami culture and a handicrafts shop attached to a hotel-restaurant.
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Mölndals Museum
In 2008, one of the world’s A-league travel magazines published an article on four up-and-coming neighbourhoods around the world. One of the ‘It kids’ was tiny Kvarnbyn, a district of the town of Mölndal (Valley of the Mills), lying 8km south of Göteborg. Here, a brooding landscape of roaring rapids gripped by grain mills and historic factories has been transformed into a dynamic yet low-key hub for architects, designers, artists and artisans, many of whom have escaped the high rents and pressures of big brother Göteborg. The district’s cultural nexus is the smart, interactive Mölndals Museum. Nominated for a European Museum of the Year Award in 2005, it’s like a vast…
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Malmöhus Slott
Malmö's castle has an intriguing history, although not much remains of the older citadels built on the site: today, with its red-brick, Functionalist buildings (dating from 1937), it looks more like a factory! Some of the Malmö Museer are based inside the castle.
Erik of Pomerania built the first fortress here in 1436, to control the growing medieval town and Öresund shipping. This castle was destroyed between 1534 and 1536 during a popular uprising in Skåne. In the years immediately after the rebellion, King Christian III of Denmark had the castle rebuilt in forbidding late-Gothic and early-Renaissance styles.
The most famous prisoner at Malmöhus Slott (from 1567 to…
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Malmö Museer
Various museums in and around Malmöhus Slott (castle) make up the Malmö Museer. There are cafe-restaurants inside all the museums. Inside the castle, the intriguing aquarium has a nocturnal hall wriggling with everything from bats to electric eels, and local swimmers like cod and pike. It’s associated with the Naturmuseum (Natural History Museum). The unmissable Malmö Konstmuseum boasts a fabulous collection of Swedish furniture and handicrafts as well as Scandinavia’s largest collection of 20th-century Nordic art, while the Stadsmuseum (City Museum) combines exhibitions on the region’s cultural history with more international themes. Ask for the English-language…
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Foteviken Viking Reserve
If you mourn the passing of big hairy men in longboats, find solace at one of Sweden’s most absorbing attractions, about 700m north of Höllviken. Foteviken Viking Reserve is an evocative ‘living’ reconstruction of a late–Viking Age village. Entry price includes a fantastic one-hour guided tour (Swedish, plus English), departing at 11am, 1pm and 2.30pm. Around 22 authentic reconstructions of houses with reed or turf roofs have been built on the coast, near the site of the Battle of Foteviken (1134). These belong to various tradespeople, like the town’s jarl (commander of the armed forces), juror and scribe; and the chieftain, whose home has wooden floorboards, fleeces…
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Grave Mounds
The seat of Western culture, according to Olof Rudbeck’s 1679 book Atlantica, was Sweden: specifically, Gamla Uppsala. Rudbeck (1630–1702), a scientist, writer and all-around colourful character, amassed copious evidence proving that Gamla Uppsala was, in fact, the mythical lost city of Atlantis. In retrospect, this seems unlikely. But the spot, 4km north of the modern city, is a fascinating attraction nevertheless. One of Sweden’s largest and most important burial sites, Gamla Uppsala contains around 300 mounds from the 6th to 12th centuries. The earliest and most impressive are three huge grave mounds. Legend has it they contain the pre-Viking kings Aun, Egil and…
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Nationalparkernas Hus
Some of the best hiking and wilderness scenery can be found in the 4900-hectare Tyresta National Park, only 20km southeast of Stockholm. Established in 1993, the park is noted for its two-billion-year-old rocks and virgin forest, which includes 300-year-old pine trees. It’s a beautiful area, with rocky outcrops, small lakes, marshes and a wide variety of birdlife. At the southwestern edge of the park is Nationalparkernas Hus. Here you can discover all of Sweden’s national parks (28 at the time of research) through exhibitions and slide shows, but be sure to check out the centre itself – it’s built in the shape of Sweden, complete with all 41 corners! There are even…
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ABBA: The Museum
Despite the indefinite postponement of its opening (expect a 2010 opening due to construction setbacks; check the website for updates on opening date, hours and prices), Stockholm’s eagerly anticipated, epically hyped ABBA: The Museum is set to become one of Sweden’s major crowd-pullers, with an estimated half-million visitors annually. Housed in a converted customs building on Södermalm, the museum’s three floors will trace the supergroup’s rise to pop immortality in what promises to be an interactive, multimedia extravaganza. A series of linear, interactive ‘scenes’ will have you hanging out in the recreated Polar recording studio, shaking your booty on stage and even…
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Kalmar Slott
Fairy-tale turrets, a drawbridge, a foul dungeon and secret passages…yes, Kalmar Slott has everything that a proper castle should. This powerful Renaissance building was once the most important in Sweden, and it’s fortified accordingly. It also boasts one of the best-preserved interiors from the period. King Erik’s chamber is a real scene-stealer. Erik’s rivalry with his brother Johan caused him to install a secret passage in the loo! There’s also a superb suspended ceiling in the Golden Hall; eye-boggling wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling marquetry in the Chequered Hall; an elaborate bed, stolen as war booty then carefully vandalised so that no Danish ghosts could…
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Liseberg
Scream yourself silly at this mighty theme park, southeast of the city centre. Sweden’s largest, it draws over three million visitors every year, and sometimes it feels as though they’re all visiting at once! There’s a number of blockbuster rides, including the 90km/h wooden roller coaster Balder, and the stomach-churning Kanonen, where you’re blasted from 0 to 75km/h in under two seconds. For views of the city without losing your lunch, the ride to the top of the Liseberg Tower, 83m above the ground, climaxes in a slow spinning dance with a breathtaking panorama. Softer options include carousels and fairy-tale castles, as well as summertime shows and concerts. Each ride…
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