Description: We found the museum of Medieval Stockholm by chance on our last day in Stockholm whilst we were wandering by the water waiting for the time to go get the bus to the airport. I am glad we found this hidden little gem as it turned out to be one of my favourite places we visited in our time in Stockholm.
I didn't even know there was a medieval museum as it wasn't mentioned in the guidebook I had or in the book I had received from the tourist information centre. You can find it under the Norrbro Bridge that is one of the main bridges next to the parliment building on the way to Gamla Stan. It isn't particularly well signposted and we only stumbled on it by chance as we took the steps down the bridge to sit by the water and saw the entrance. Why it is hidden away with so little publicity is beyond me as it may be small but it was more interesting than the other museums we visited.
If you are a history buff like me then it is a must but as it was free to enter (summer 2010) then you really have nothing to lose by visiting it.
The whole museum is located underground as when the city were building an underground parking garage they came across some fascinating remains and with good sense abandoned the parking garage and turned it into a museum.
Now it houses the remains of the old town wall which the rest of the museum is built around. The artifacts which they found are also prominently displayed and there is some history on the founding of Stockholm as a city which I found particularly interesting.
One of the best features of the museum for families and big kids like me is that they have a recreation of all the medieval buildings that you would have found in Stockholm at that time. These were absolutely brilliant and made all the more interesting in that they were lifesize replicas and you were able to actually go inside and explore the buildings and rooms.
There was also an exhibit of Birger Jarl who was the founder of Stockholm and is a name you will see and hear all over the city. After seeing so much about him it was interesting to find out more about the man who founded this beautiful city.
The whole museum was such a breathe of fresh air. Although medieval history is not to everyones taste it is presented in such a way that makes it accessible to everyone and the curators have done a fabulous job in making it interesting but not crowded or boring.
As it seemed to be so well hidden the museum had hardly any visitors when we were there which is a real shame but the blame lies solely with the city tourism board for not advertising it better and making sure that people know it is there. If you are visiting Stockholm then this is a museum that I can highly recommend and one that I enjoyed far more than the more famous Vasa museum. Just look for the little old fashioned boat that looks like it has been abandoned in the water and you will know you are at the right bridge.
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