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Vasa (ship)

1620s ships1627 establishments in Sweden1628 in SwedenArchaeology of shipwrecksEngineering failures
Maritime archaeologyMaritime incidents in 1628Maritime incidents in SwedenMilitary history of SwedenMuseum ships in SwedenShips built in StockholmShips of the Swedish NavyShips preserved in museumsShipwrecks in the Baltic SeaShipwrecks of SwedenTourist attractions in StockholmUse British English from November 2021Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages
The Vasa from the Bow
The Vasa from the Bow

Vasa or Wasa (Swedish pronunciation: [²vɑːsa] (listen)) is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century, until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping area in Stockholm harbor. The ship was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 35 million visitors since 1961. Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognized symbol of the Swedish Empire. The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626–1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannons cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze. The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Älvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king's subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship's problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organized by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished. During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around Vasa's hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today Vasa is the world's best-preserved 17th century ship, and the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The wreck of Vasa continually undergoes monitoring and further research on how to preserve her.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Vasa (ship) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Vasa (ship)
Djurgårdsstrand, Stockholm Djurgården (Östermalms stadsdelsområde)

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N 59.327777777778 ° E 18.091111111111 °
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Vasamuseet

Djurgårdsstrand
115 21 Stockholm, Djurgården (Östermalms stadsdelsområde)
Sweden
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call+46851954800

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vasamuseet.se

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The Vasa from the Bow
The Vasa from the Bow
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Junibacken
Junibacken

Junibacken is a children’s attraction, founded by Staffan Götestam, Fredrik Uhrström and Peder Wallenberg. It is situated on the island of Djurgården in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. It was officially opened by the Swedish Royal Family on 8 June 1996. It is Stockholm’s 5th most-visited tourist attraction. It is devoted to Swedish children’s literature, but especially Astrid Lindgren. Outside the building is a bronze statue of Lindgren. The art direction and images for the interior design were made by Swedish artist Marit Törnqvist, who had previously made illustrations for more recent versions of Lindgren's books.Junibacken contains the largest children’s bookstore in Sweden. The lockers in the entrance hall are unusual in that each is in the form of a giant book-spine, featuring world classics such as Treasure Island and The Jungle Book. Other main attractions include a Storybook Square, a mock public square where each house is devoted to a separate Swedish children’s author (other than Lindgren), from the earliest writers such as Elsa Beskow to recent writers such as Sven Nordqvist. The square ends at a mock Vimmerby railway station. The station also presents framed copies of Lindgren memorabilia, including a glowing letter of praise for Lindgren from then president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. From the station visitors then take a theme-train ride through the world of Astrid Lindgren’s books, with one “stage setting” for each of her well-known works, such as Madicken, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, Emil i Lönneberga, and The Brothers Lionheart. The train ride ends at a half-side reconstruction of Villa Villekulla, the home of Lindgren's most well-known character, Pippi Longstocking. It also includes a theatre, restaurant and temporary exhibition space. The temporary exhibition space is usually devoted to a single author or character and normally remains in place for 11 months. Among the most popular of the temporary exhibitions have been Pettson and Findus, and Trazan och Banarne. Junibacken is not a museum according to ICOM's definition because it has no collections. It is, however, a member of both Swedish ICOM and Riksförbundet Sveriges museer.