One of the major highlights of a trip to Sweden is a visit to Stockholm’s Vasa Museum. Each year hundreds of thousands of tourists file through the famous maritime museum to admire a rebuilt 17th century Swedish ship known as the Vasa. As visitors view the full-sized ship, from every possible angle, they’re amazed at how such a huge vessel came back to life after being buried at sea for so many years.
History Background of the Vasa Ship
The original Vasa ship was a wooden warship built by hundreds of carpenters, carvers, cabinet-makers, rope-makers and other workers. The ship was assembled from 1618 through 1648, during the 30 Years’ War, a religious conflict which was one of the most destructive wars in European history. The Vasa, which was the largest ship in Swedish fleet history, was built for the military campaign of Swedish King Gustav II in the Baltic Sea.
Shortly after the vessel sailed off from Stockholm, on August 10, 1628, it sank because it was too top-heavy. Roughly 130 crewmen and their wives were on board. Mody of the crew escaped, but others sank to their death. By the close of the 18th century, the story of the sinking Vasa was almost forgotten.
The Resurrection of the Vasa
More than three centuries later remnants of the Vasa were discovered under the Baltic Sea, thanks to the curiosity of Anders Franzen, who was determined to find the remains of the sunken ship. In 1956 he located it.
Franzen convinced the proper authorities and sponsors it was worth salvaging, and in 1957 divers started excavating parts of the ship, lifting its pieces from the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The last portion of the ship was lifted from the sea on April 24, 1961 and Franzen quickly became a national hero in Sweden.
The Vasa Museum
For the next three decades many carpenters, archaeologists and other workers identified, cataloged and assembled about 14,000 wooden pieces, ranging from sculptures to deck planks. The museum, located on the Djurgarden Island in Central Stockholm, opened in June of 1990. The museum’s upper deck was rebuilt nine years later.
Roughly 95 percent of the ship has been persevered, according to the Nordic Underwater Archaeology website. Using the original oak timbers, portions of the Vasa that were destroyed were rebuilt by ship technicians and shipwrights, along with the museum staff.
Vasa Sculptures
While the Vasa looks like a simple ship from its interior, the vessel’s exterior is decorated with unique sculptures. Finding the sculptures was an added bonus for the scientists working on the ship. There are roughly 500 sculptures that were uncovered.
Besides displaying the ship, the Vasa Museum tells the story of the rebuilt ship through scale models, replicas and archeological finds. A short film plays hourly which relates the story of the Vasa. Skeletal remains of the crew and passengers who drowned are displayed in the museum basement.
After visiting the Vasa Museum, tourists want to go home and learn more about this incredible ship that was able to be salvaged. Not only does the Vasa Museum reveal the majesty of the only intact 17th century ship in the world, but it also shows the exceptional Swedish nautical skill and the miracle of how such a massive vessel, measuring 69 meters long, was able to be raised to land again and reconstructed.
References
Europe for Visitors: Vasa Museum (date accessed 9/6/2010).
Nordic Underwater Archaeology: The Swedish Ship Vasa’s Revival (date accessed 9/6/2010).
Venice Kichura - Venice Kichura is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of subjects. She holds a special passion for topics relating to art and ...
