Swedish Museum of National Antiquities

The Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm is one of Sweden’s largest museum. It comprehensively traces more than ten thousand years of the country’s history from the Stone Age to Medieval times. It is best known for the Gold Room (Guldrummet) and its enthralling collection of things related to Vikings.

The exhibits in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities are divided into Prehistories, Gold, Vikings, Gothic Hall, and the Textile Chamber.

Prehistories exhibits include archeological artifacts and prehistoric finds such as a cloak with a hound’s tooth pattern weave. It is believed to be 2,000 years old, making it Sweden’s oldest preserved garment.

The Gold Room houses silver and gold treasures, majority of which come from the period known as Scandinavia’s Gold Age. The star of the exhibit is a 1500 year-old gold collar from Ålleberg. The craftsmanship is so intricate and exquisite that present day goldsmiths have not figured out how it was made.

Everything you want to know about Vikings are in the Viking Exhibit. With four thousand objects dating from the Viking period, it tells how these warriors lived their daily lives thousands of years ago. Aside from weapons and warfare, everyday activities such as family life and religious beliefs are depicted. A model of Birka, one of Sweden’s first towns is also on display.

The Gothic Hall houses a fine collection of medieval ecclesiastical art. Religious objects such as altar pieces, missals, crosses, bread and wine receptacles, and other ecclesiastical treasures in gold and silver are displayed in a rural 12th-century church setting.

Many well-preserved tapestries and embroideries from the Middle Ages are displayed in the Textile Chamber. These textiles were once used in Swedish churches, both made in the country and from other parts of the world.

Other activities hosted by the museum include lectures, re-enactments, history workshops and school tours. There is a shop where you can buy copies of Viking jewelry and a café serving homemade bread. Admission to the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities is free.