Located on the island of Djurgården, this museum was built to display the Vasa, a Swedish warship that sunk in 1628 and was then recovered in 1961. In addition to being the only ship of its era still in existence, the fascinating stories of its sinking and recovery make the Vasa a unique attraction. The architecture of the museum and it’s well-designed exhibits further enhance the experience.
The museum is built around the recovered ship, which was too large for me to take in with a photograph. The action of water and time have aged the timbers and worn away the paint which once decorated this ship. Much of the rigging has been reconstructed, but not the sails. The photo above shows a small model of the Vasa reconstructed with sails intact and painted as it might have looked on the fatal day of its launch and sinking. There are exhibits explaining the research that went into determining the composition and coloring of the paint originally used on the Vasa, as well as descriptions of the materials and construction techniques used for shipbuilding and sailmaking during the period.
If you want to learn more about the Vasa and its stories, I encourage you to visit the Vasa Museet website.