Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10am-6pm, closed Mon Sep-May; 44, 56, Karlaplan, Östermalmstorg)
The national historical collection awaits at this enthralling museum. From Iron Age skates
and a Viking boat to medieval textiles and Renaissance triptychs, it spans over 10,000
years of Swedish history and culture. There's an exhibit about the medieval Battle of Got-
land (1361), an excellent multimedia display on the Vikings, a room of altarpieces from
the Middle Ages, a vast textile collection and a section on prehistoric culture.
An undisputed highlight is the subterranean Gold Room, a dimly lit chamber gleaming
with Viking plunder and other treasures, including the jewel-encrusted Reliquary of St El-
isabeth (who died at 24 and was canonised in 1235). The most astonishing artefact,
however, is the 5th-century seven-ringed gold collar discovered in Västergötland in the
19th century. Weighing 823g, it is decorated with 458 symbolic figures.
