On Saturday, the 18th of April, we drove into the city to spend some time exploring the Vasa Museet. It is located on the island of Djurgarden and it's impressive architecture establishes it as a landmark visible from the city. The museum is dedicated to the wreck of the Vasa, a 17th century warship, built to sail during the Thirty Years War. Unfortunately, the ship sank on her maiden voyage as she left the Stockholm harbour in 1628. A number of factors were involved in creating this disaster, including the narrowness of the vessel, the number of heavy cannons on board, and the fact that her gun ports were open for an impressive show of power as she set sail. A sudden gust of wind blew up, water flooded in through those open gun ports, and the ship heeled over and sank, drowning most of the people on board. The ship lay in Stockholm Harbour until the 1960's when she was brought to the surface again. The ship was remarkably preserved because of the relatively low level of salt in the Baltic Sea. After the ship was raised, archaeologists pieced her back together like a giant puzzle, and put her on display in this unique museum. We watched a film and took an interesting guided tour to learn about life in the 17th century and how the ship was salvaged then restored.
The ship is on display in a vast room. The lights are dim and the air is chilly. I'm not sure if I imagined it or not, but there even seemed to be a smell of the sea in the room! Visitors to the museum can walk all around the ship, on multiple levels, but the ship itself is off limits (the kids asked!) There are displays of objects found during the salvage, things like cookware, clothes and cannons, and even skeletons of some victims. The dark, damp environment was sometimes unsettling, and you never forget that what you're seeing is the result of a tragedy. 
The ship was originally very colorful and highly decorated with intricate carvings in the solid oak. The king of Sweden who ordered the ship built, Gustav II Adolf, spared no expense in the creation of one of the largest and most heavily armed warship of it's time. The stern of the ship is a work of art, entirely covered in symbolic carvings depicting the powerful king and his weak enemies.
We all enjoyed our tour of the Vasa. It is one of the most-visited museums in the city, and it really is a must-see! Nonetheless, we all took in a deep, refreshing breath of the cool spring air when we left!
