On one of the islands of Stockholm, where the monarchs of Sweden hunted a long time ago, there is an unusual angular structure. Above the dark roof of the structure, two scarlet structures rise up, reminiscent of the masts of a ship. This is "Vasa" - a museum of one exhibit. "Vasa" is a ship of the 17th century. His wooden structures were preserved almost one hundred percent. After sailing only 30 minutes, the ship sank. And today everyone has the opportunity to view this vehicle in its almost original form.
Building a ship
"Vasa" is a museum that delights many tourists. This is the only sailing ship of the 17th century on the planet that managed to survive to this day. In the 1620s, Sweden, through the formation of a personal fleet, tried to establish itself at sea. King Gustav II Adolf, who ruled at that time, believed that the greatness of the country depended on God and on its fleet. The flagship of the Swedish fleet (the ship Vasa) was launched in 1628. The name of the vessel was given in honor of the dynasty that ruled in that era.
The creators of the machine had the intention to create a ship, withlike no other ship in the B altic Sea. Today "Vasa" is a museum, which also finds it difficult to find a worthy competitor. The sailboat was to become the personification of the luxury and we alth of the kingdom. Therefore, more than four hundred different gilded sculptures became the scenery of the frigate. As a result, shipbuilders created a powerful and magnificent 64-gun machine.
The history of the sailing ship begins with the conclusion of a contract for the creation of a new ship between the Swedish king and the Dutch shipbuilder Hubertsson. "Vasa" was built for three years. All work took place at the Stockholm shipyard. The monarch personally looked after the construction. More than one thousand trees were cut down for the ship, and 400 workers were involved in its construction. And the flagship would have a long and interesting history of existence, if not for one fatal mistake: the craftsmen made an incredibly narrow hull of the sailboat, which led it to such a tragic fate.
Sailboat sinking
On August 10, 1628, the Vasa was launched and put into the open space of the bay. It was a truly historic day for Sweden. A huge crowd came to see this spectacle. The ship saluted, and then the worst began to happen: as soon as the smoke from the explosions of the guns subsided, the audience saw how the newly-made car quickly went to the bottom. A powerful recoil was provoked by a volley of onboard guns, after which the sailboat heeled heavily, and water flows began to fill the open gun ports with lightning speed. As a result, the guns, due to the strong inclination, beganroll from one side to the other. This was the final verdict on the frigate.
Vasa lay at the bottom of the B altic Sea for 333 years. It was found by the enthusiastic engineer Anders Fransen. Due to the low salinity of this sea, there are no grinder worms in it. Therefore, the sailboat was practically not damaged under water. Now "Vasa" is a museum located on the island of Djurgården, in the very center of the Swedish capital.
General idea of the museum
The Vasa Museum is one of the main attractions in Sweden. The establishment has been open since August 1990. The building of the institution was designed especially for the exposition of the sailboat and artifacts related to it. It is one of the most visited museums in the country, with almost one million visitors each year.
The institution has 11 regular exhibitions, each of which is connected with the history of the failed flagship, its construction, crash and restoration. In addition, there is a cinema hall showing a film about the history of Vasa, a restaurant and a gift shop.
Three exhibitions: "The period of the ship's construction", "Face to face" and "Rescue"
The Vasa Museum demonstrates to the audience an exposition that fully describes the fate of the ship. Thus, the exhibition "The Period of Construction" invites guests of the institution to get acquainted with the 17th century in the history of the world (worldview, incidents and facts). The exposition seems to immerse people in the era that took place400 years ago. Thanks to this show, a person gets an idea of how the Ottoman Empire, America, West Africa, China and other states lived in the 17th century.
The "Face to Face" exposition tells about those poor people who happened to be on board the "Vasa" at the time of its death. The meticulous work of historians and anthropologists has made it possible to restore approximately 30 skeletons of drowned people. Also, the researchers managed to obtain information about the way of life of each deceased person, the state of he alth and appearance. Thus, visitors have the opportunity to come face to face with people who lived four centuries ago.
The touch screens, exhibits and diorama of the Salvation exhibition tell the story of the search, discovery and recovery of a vessel. Most of the attention is given to the man who found the car and then led its recovery - Anders Fransen.
The next three exposures
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm also exhibits sailors' chests with their contents and household items. Models of the upper deck and hold are also presented. All this can be seen in the exhibition called "Life on Board".
The exposition "Images of power" reveals the symbolic meaning of the many sculptures that adorned "Vasa". So, among the sculptures there are emperors, demons, mermaids, pagan deities and even angels. In those distant times, all these creatures were obliged to maintain the status of a powerful maritime state.
Viewing the exhibition Stockholmshipyard”, you understand that four centuries ago shipbuilding was a real art. Here are collected the remains of mechanisms and devices, the own things of artists, builders and carpenters who worked on the creation of the sailboat.
A few more exposures
The Conservation section is incredibly interesting for the audience. In order to preserve the ship-museum "Vasa", a photo of which can be seen in our description, many measures were taken by the restorers. Exactly what actions took place, this exposition tells.
Power and Glory is an incredibly interesting section of the museum. This exposition gives a complete picture of what type the most powerful and expensive sailing ship of the kingdom had. Scientists have carefully restored all the colors. Also in this hall there are huge screens on which the ship is depicted in all its majesty.
The most intriguing exhibitions
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm (pictured above) also boasts some incredibly intriguing exhibits. For example, the "Museum Garden" is a real garden, laid out near the institution. The garden contains plants that the ship's doctors planned to use to cure the sailors. And in the garden you can see the vegetables that filled the ship's holds.
And here is another exhibition called "Vasa Model". Here is a model of the flagship in a scale of one to ten. A reduced copy of the ship can be viewedhours. Then, returning here again, you will definitely find something that you have not seen before. To create this "miniature" model, all research materials were taken from the moment the frigate was raised from the seabed to the present day.
How to get to the museum
Getting to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm is quite easy, especially since there are four ways to get there:
- Public transport: city tram number 7 stops right next to the main entrance to the institution, as well as bus number 44.
- Ferry: Getting to attractions by water is an extremely interesting way. The ferry departs from Gamla Stan and from the center of Stockholm.
- A tourist bus leaves every 20 minutes from the city bus station to the island of Djurgården.
- From the center of Stockholm to the museum you can easily get on foot. You have to overcome only 2.5 kilometers. This route is the best, especially if the weather is fine.
It is not recommended to go to the museum by private car in summer, as you may not find a place to park.
If the visitor is under 18 years old, then he can visit the object completely free of charge. And tickets for adults cost 130 crowns (about 1000 rubles).
Worth a visit
The Vasa Museum receives fantastic reviews from all the visitors who have visited it. Everyone who came here says that as soon as you cross the threshold of the institution, you get the feeling that you are transported from the 21st century to the 17th century by a time machine. All museum guests admirethe fact that the Vasa is the only ship on earth that is four hundred years old. Even more people are amazed by the excellent condition of the attraction.
