Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
times per hour; almost all showings are either in English or with English sub-
titles (check at the info desk). In summer, English
tours
run on the hour and
at :30 past the hour; listen for the loudspeaker announcement, or check at the
info desk; off-season (Sept-May), tours go only at :30 past each hour begin-
ning at 9:30 (last tour departs at 16:30). Because each guide is given license
to cover whatever he or she likes, no two tours are alike—if you're fascinated
by the place, consider taking two different tours to pick up new details.
Background:
The
Vasa
, while not quite the biggest ship in the world, had
the most firepower, with two fearsome decks of cannons. The 500 carved
wooden statues draping the ship—once painted in bright colors—are all sym-
bolic of the king's power. The 10-foot lion on the magnificent prow is a
reminder that Europe considered the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus the
“Lion from the North.” With this great ship, Sweden was preparing to estab-
lish its empire and become more engaged in European power politics. Spe-
cifically, the Swedes (who already controlled much of today's Finland and
Estonia) wanted to push south to dominate the whole of the Baltic Sea, in or-
der to challenge their powerful rival, Poland.
Designed by a Dutch shipbuilder, the
Vasa
had 72 guns of the same size
and type (a rarity on mix-and-match warships of the age), allowing maximum
efficiencyinreloading—sincetherewasnoneedtokeeptrackofdifferentam-
munition. Unfortunately, the king's unbending demands to build it high (172
feet tall) but skinny (less than 16 feet wide) made it extremely unstable; no
amount of ballast could weigh the ship down enough to prevent it from tip-
ping.
Visiting the Museum:
Exhibits are situated on six levels around the grand
hall, circling the ship itself. Most exhibits are on the entrance level (4). The
lowest level (2) has displays on the shipyards where the
Vasa
was built; up-
stairs on level 5, you can walk through replicas of ship interiors (handy, since
you can't enter the actual ship). All displays are well described in English.
You'll learn about the ship's rules (bread can't be older than eight years), why
it sank (heavy bread?), how it's preserved (the ship, not the bread), and so on.
Best of all is the chance to do slow laps around the magnificent vessel at dif-
ferent levels. Now painstakingly restored, 95 percent of the
Vasa
's wood is
original (modern bits are the brighter and smoother planks).
