Visiting Skansen - open-air museum in Stockholm

To FREEDOMtravel

Advertisement

Visiting Skansen in Stockholm can be very enjoyable. Skansen can be visited all year round and offers beautiful historical environments, Nordic animals and many different activities and events. This December there was of course a Christmas market!

Tweet

Share

Share

Pin

Share

Share

Skansen in Stockholm

Skansen is an open-air museum and zoo founded in 1891 by folklorist Arthur Hazelius. Concerned about the loss of Swedish folk culture, Hazelius travelled around the country in 1872 collecting objects and literature.

The collections grew over time, and based on these, both the Nordic Museum and Skansen were created. Today, Skansen is extremely popular and the open-air museum attracted over 1.4 million visitors in 2019.

Skansen is located on Djurgården in Stockholm, within the Royal National City Park.

Visiting Skansen in Stockholm

Skansen is one of the most popular destinations in Stockholm, visited by locals as well as Swedish and foreign tourists. Under normal circumstances, Skansen is open every day, all year round, and there is always something new going on. As well as always being able to see historic buildings and Nordic animals, there are also concerts, Allsång på Skansen, markets, craft activities and activities for children.

We were here on the last weekend before Christmas, which meant that there was a Christmas market and lots of activities such as singing, dancing around the tree, crafts, Christmas crafts and everything else.

Visiting Skansen is not completely free (we paid 220 SEK/person), but you get a lot for your money. If you plan to visit more than once during the year, it's worth looking into an annual pass, which pays for itself very quickly.

Historic buildings

The Skansen area is large, and there are a fantastic number of historic buildings here. For example, you can see Seglora Church, which comes from Seglora parish in Västergötland and was built between 1729 and 1730. The church tells the story of a time when religion was at the centre of Sweden, and is still popular for weddings and baptisms.

Two other buildings that stand out, or rather stand up, are the Håsjöstapeln and the Bredablick lookout tower. Håsjöstapeln is a replica of a 21 metre high bell tower at Håsjö church in Jämtland. The Bredablick tower is a so-called "belvedere" (lookout tower after an Italian model) that was built in 1874-1876.

Some much older cultural and historical memories that can be viewed at Skansen are a number of rune stones. The picture below shows the Ölsastenen from Gryta parish in Uppland. The stone is painted as it is believed that the rune stones originally looked like.

There are also lots of crofts, sheds, cottages, farmhouses and farms of different types and from different times. Each building has a sign telling you about its history and original location.

If you want to see a little more urbanisation, you can look around the city quarters. Here you can visit the Savings Bank, the bakery, the pottery, the shoemaker, the book printer, the goldsmith's house, the carpentry factory, the sheet metal shop, the ironmonger's house and many other exciting and charming places.

Last but not least, we want to mention the Samevistet, which shows a mountain Sami spring and autumn show from the early 1900s.

Nordic animals

Many people who choose to visit Skansen do so, of course, to see all the animals there, not least the children. Skansen houses wild Nordic animals such as moose, wolverine, bison, otter, grey seal and brown bear. There are also domesticated animals and Swedish country breeds such as Roslag sheep, Linderödssvin, gutefår and Hedemora hens.

There is also the Lill-Skansen with various small animals such as rabbits, miniature pigs, guinea pigs and tree frogs. Today there is also the Baltic Sea Science Centre with underwater environments, aquariums and exhibitions about the Baltic Sea and its challenges.

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to see the animals, and of course we couldn't see the bears at all this time of year because they were hibernating. If you want to see even more animals, you can also check out Skansen-Akvariet, which includes monkeys, meerkats, snakes, lizards and spiders. Please note that admission to the Skansen-Aquariet not is included in the entrance to Skansen.

Christmas market and other events

Many different events are organised at Skansen during the year, from markets to artists and Allsång på Skansen. Right now, there was a Christmas market - an event that was very well attended.

Skansen's Christmas market dates back to 1903, and this year around 70 market stalls were set up in Bollnästorget. The stalls sell different kinds of delicacies and crafts, and you can browse through marzipan, game meat, cheeses, textiles, wool, ceramics and lots of other things. Of course, mulled wine, waffles, wraps, burnt almonds, cotton candy, caramels and other goodies are also served.

Visiting Skansen - more to see and do

Skansen showcases many different craft activities. We peeked into a small glass hut, which felt very familiar as we recently travelled both in and out of Skansen. The Crystal Valley in the Czech Republic and in The Glass Kingdom in Småland. In other workshops you can look at other types of crafts.

For those who have children with them, there are also many activities. Right now, for example, you could do Christmas crafts or dance around the tree. There is also Galejan's carnival with old-fashioned carousels and traditional lotteries.

There are also plenty of eateries and restaurants, such as Stora Gungan, Restaurant Solliden, Skansen Terrassen and Restauration Gubbhyllan.

More to see and do on Djurgården

Skansen is large, so it can be difficult to do more in the same day, but there is so much to see and do on Djurgården in Stockholm. Here you will find Gröna Lund, Kaknästornet, Junibacken, Cirkus and Rosendals Trädgård, as well as a number of famous restaurants. A slightly more unusual tip is Isbladskärret, which for much of the year is populated by around 60 pairs of herons.

Above all, Djurgården is perhaps best known for its extremely museum density. We haven't had time to visit and write about all the museums yet, but here's a list of the ones we've written about so far:

What are your experiences of visiting Skansen? Have you been here, and if so, in what context? How have your experiences been?

You might also like:

East Asian Museum in Stockholm - Japan, China, Korea Culture in Lund - an open-air museum in the city centre Wämöparken in Karlskrona - Blekinge's "Skansen" Nordiska museet in Stockholm - culture, design, traditions Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde - art in beautiful surroundings ArkDes - museum of architecture and design