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Reminder: Press invitation to preview of the new state-owned museum Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 07:45:00 +0200

On 23 September, a new maritime archaeology museum is opening on Djurgården in Stockholm.
The new museum Vrak – Museum of Wrecks allows visitors to dive into the past with the help of various digital solutions. On the seafloor of the Baltic Sea there is a unique cultural heritage, wrecks and other historical relics from the Stone Age to present time. Vrak is the sister museum of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, and part of the government agency the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums.

In the first exhibition, the visitor is brought to the bottom of the Baltic Sea with the help of an immersive film experience. The mythical wreck “Resande Man” is shown in scale 1:1 and presented using a hologram and the visitor experiences the feeling of moving through an old shipwreck. The museum is housed in an old boat hangar designed by architect Paul Hedqvist in 1941. The architectural firm Fahlander Arkitekter have carefully redeveloped the building with sustainable materials like concrete, oak, steel and glass, which have associations with the sea, ships and the seafloor.

Press previews in the museum and the exhibitions on Thursday, 16 September
To avoid overcrowding, four press previews will be held at the following times:

9 a.m. – in Swedish
11 a.m. – in Swedish
1 p.m. – in English
3 p.m. – in Swedish

Location: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm, inside the museum.

You are allowed to take photos and videos in the museum during the press preview. The museum’s director Odd Johansen, exhibition producers and maritime archaeologists will be on hand at the museum to answer your questions. You can also walk around the exhibitions on your own. Press images and underwater film footage will be available for viewing in the museum’s press room.

RSVP
Contact press officer Cecilia Eriksson at cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se. Please state which time you wish to attend.

Contact
For any questions, please contact Cecilia Eriksson, telephone +46 (0)76 607 58 78.

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Vrak – Museum of Wrecks is a new museum about the Baltic Sea’s unique wrecks and cultural heritage, and a sister museum to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Nowhere else in the world are there as many well-preserved shipwrecks as in the Baltic Sea. Vrak brings their stories to the surface, while leaving the wrecks themselves and their objects on the seafloor where they are best preserved. The new museum serves as a hub for wrecks, new discoveries and research throughout the Baltic Sea region.

Address: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm.
www.vrak.se

Invitation: Opening of Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 14:55:00 +0200

The new museum Vrak – Museum of Wrecks allows visitors to dive into the past with the help of various digital solutions.

Already in the first exhibition, the visitor is brought to the bottom of the Baltic Sea with the help of an immersive film experience. The mythical wreck “Resande Man” is shown in scale 1:1 and presented using a hologram. Here the visitor can experience the feeling of moving through an old shipwreck. Upstairs, after the visitor has risen to the surface, there is the opportunity to explore a wreck through VR dives, dives in archives, and games.

The museum is housed in a unique building, an old boat hangar designed by architect Paul Hedqvist in 1941. The architectural firm Fahlander Arkitekter have carefully redeveloped the building with sustainable materials like concrete, oak, steel and glass, which have associations with the sea, ships and the seafloor.

The Museum of Wrecks is the sister museum of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, and part of the government agency the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums.

Press preview in the museum and the exhibitions on Thursday, 16 September
To avoid overcrowding, four press previews will be held at the following times:

9 a.m. – in Swedish
11 a.m. – in Swedish
1 p.m. – in English
3 p.m. – in Swedish

Location: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm, inside the museum.

Inauguration on Wednesday, 22 September
Members of the press are welcome to participate in person as His Majesty The King of Sweden inaugurates Vrak – Museum of Wrecks. The inauguration starts at 4 p.m.

Location: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm, outside of the museum.

The general public is welcome to follow the opening ceremony online at the museum’s website, vrak.se.

RSVP
Registration and credentials are required for both the press preview and the inauguration. Please note that the inauguration is also broadcasted digitally with an unlimited number of seats.
Contact press officer Cecilia Eriksson at cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se by Monday, 13 September. For the press preview, please state which time you wish to attend.

Contact
For any questions, please contact Cecilia Eriksson, telephone +46 (0)76 607 58 78.

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Vrak – Museum of Wrecks is a new museum about the Baltic Sea’s unique wrecks and cultural heritage, and a sister museum to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Nowhere else in the world are there as many well-preserved shipwrecks as in the Baltic Sea. The Museum of Wrecks brings their stories to the surface, while leaving the wrecks themselves and their objects on the seafloor where they are best preserved. The new museum serves as a hub for wrecks, new discoveries and research throughout the Baltic Sea region.

Address: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm.
vrak.se

Shipwrecks at Vaxholm identified: Apollo and Maria from 1648

Wed, 12 May 2021 09:47:00 +0200

Wood samples, measurements of deck beams and frames, and thorough archival research have all led to an answer about which ships were previously discovered. The museum’s maritime archaeologists can confirm that the ships are the warships Apollo and Maria, which were transporting troops to Poland in preparation for an invasion by Charles X Gustav. Both ships took part in the Battle of Møn in 1657 and were also used in the Battle of the Sound in 1658.

“Identifying the ships has been a real mystery to solve, and there were many pieces that needed to fall into place,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist and project manager for the dives at Vaxholm. “These are large ships with impressive dimensions. We took a number of wooden samples for age dating purposes, and the results show that the oak the ships were built with was felled during the winter of 1646/47. This means that the ships should have been built one or two years later.”

Hansson continues:

“When we dived on the ships, we got ‘a Vasa feeling’ – the timbers were huge, so one clue pointed to the possibility of finding some of Vasa’s sister ships, which we know were sunk outside Vaxholm. But the dates didn’t add up. Vasa’s sister ships, Äpplet, Kronan and Scepter, were built shortly after Vasa sank in 1628. We wondered if the samples we had taken could have possibly come from parts of the ships that had been repaired, in the 1640s.”

The maritime archaeologists starting diving again, taking more samples for analysis that clearly showed that both ships must have been built from oak felled during the winter of 1646/47. The oak from one ship came from northern Germany and the other from eastern Sweden.

Intensive efforts to identify the ships

To reconstruct the ships, work began on making sketches and digitising them. By measuring deck beams and frames and then matching that information with hull details, the archaeologists were able to get a good picture of the size and shape of the ships.

“We found that one ship had been 8.7 metres at its widest point,” Hansson says. “By having both the width and shape of the ship, we could estimate the length to be about 35 metres. This also matched well with the length and width ratios that were common in the 17th century.”

Through archival research, the maritime archaeologists came across two ships built in 1648: Apollo, built in Wismar, Germany, and Maria, built at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm. According to the archives, their measurements were consistent with what they themselves had concluded. According to the sources, both ships would also have been scuttled at Vaxholm in 1677.

“In the end, we had all the pieces of the puzzle we needed to be able to tell which ships were involved,” Hansson says. “The dimensions and shape of the ships matched the measurements from the sources. And the origin of the wood samples, where we had thought northern Germany for the smaller ship Apollo and eastern Sweden for the larger Maria, were also correct.”

“We also know that the really big ships of the same type as Vasa were primarily King Gustav II Adolf’s idea, and that idea died with him in 1632,” says Patrik Höglund, assistant project manager. “After his death, medium-sized warships were built instead, since they could be used for many different purposes and were more seaworthy than the bigger unwieldy ships.”

Höglund continues:

“This type of medium-sized ship was equipped with heavy artillery. Although the ships were not especially large, they were very robustly built to withstand the weight of the artillery. The firepower of the ships grew in relation to their size, and Apollo and Maria are good examples of this.”

“It’s interesting to get to tell about these ships,” Hansson says. “The type of ships that Apollo and Maria represent have never before been documented archaeologically, and they have so much knowledge to convey,” he concludes.

There are more wrecks at Vaxholm, according to the archives, including Vasa’s sister ships and conquered Danish ships, which is why the museum’s maritime archaeologists will continue investigations in the area.

The continuing investigations in Vaxholm are part of a research programme called “The Lost Navy – Sweden's ‘Blue’ Heritage 1450–1850”, which is being run in partnership by CEMAS at Stockholm University, the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums (which Vrak – Museum of Wrecks is a part of), and the Finnish Heritage Agency. The research programme is being funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

Videos for press use: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8444010
Password: Vaxholm

For more information, please contact:

Catrin Rising, Communications Officer
Email: catrin.rising@smtm.se
Telephone: +46 (0)737-35 16 02

Cecilia Eriksson, Communications Officer
Email: cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se
Telephone: +46 (0)8-519 558 43

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks is a new maritime archaeological museum that will be housed in a boat hall next to the Vasa Museum, at Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. The connection to the Baltic Sea will be natural, with the proximity to former navy yards and shipwrecks.

The museum opens late 2020 and is part of the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums, a government agency together with the Vasa Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the National Naval Museum and the National Railway Museum.

Shipwrecks outside Vaxholm discovered to be from the early 17th century

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 16:05:00 +0100

Following the discovery of two warships outside Vaxholm in November last year, laboratory analyses of the samples were carried out by maritime archaeologists at the Museum of Wrecks in order to obtain a date and discover whether they are Vasa’s sister ships.

The wood samples from the shipwrecks have now been analysed. Somewhat disappointingly, they reveal that an unknown number of tree rings was missing, making it impossible to determine the exact year the tress were felled. The cause might be due to erosion, or because the shipbuilders cut away some of the wood. This complicates the process of identifying the ships.

However, the samples show that the ships were likely built between the 1620s and 1630s, which is in line with theories that it could be one of Vasa’s sister ships. One of the samples in particular had a good dating. A beam from one of the wrecks was dated to 1646–47. A sample from the second wreck was also dated to the 1640s, with the exact year remaining unknown. This is likely an indication of repairs made, which would be natural if the ships were built in the late 1620s or early 1630s.

Maritime archaeologists note with interest that the warship Scepter was damaged during the naval battle at Kolberger Heide in 1644 (in Puttgarden, Germany), in which the Crown also participated. Both ships, which were built at the same time as the Vasa ship, should therefore have been repaired shortly after the battle.

“We don’t know whether what we’re seeing now is the repair work, but the idea is tantalising,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist at the museum.

The wood analysed comes from Northern Europe. Experts cannot currently determine the precise location since the samples do not contain enough tree-ring data.

Next steps

In order to identify the two warships with certainty, more dives and investigations must therefore be carried out. The primary goal will be to try and find more samples that are not too eroded and that can hopefully provide more accurate dating. If this succeeds, work in the archives can begin in earnest and hopefully confirm the identity of the large warships found at Vaxholm.

Such is life in a typical day for maritime archaeologists.

November’s findings

In early November maritime archaeologists at the new museum Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, part of the National Maritime and Transport History Museums, examined historical remains of a wreckage outside Vaxholm.

Initially, they found a shipwreck the size of the Vasa ship. The wreck was a 17th-century warship that was probably deliberately sunk to make it more difficult for intruders to approach Stockholm by sea. The measurements taken and the design details recorded both tally well with the Vasa’s.

The next day they found another shipwreck – slightly bigger than the first – in the lengthened section of the first wreck they had found.

Maritime archaeologists documented the various ship details, taking measurements, filming and photographing. Wood samples were sawn out of both ships.

Vasa’s sisters

According to historical sources, several large warships were sunk off Vaxholm in the second half of the 17th century. End-of-life warships were purposely sunk so that they formed an outer defence to Stockholm. These sunken ships were laid out to block shipping lanes or to force enemy ships to take a special passage where they could be overcome.

The ships Apple (1629), Crown (1632) and Scepter (1634) were built in a series together with Vasa during King Gustaf II Adolf’s refurbishing of the Swedish navy. Maritime archaeologists believe they have found one – or perhaps even two – of these ships. According to the archives, they were sunk right in Vaxholm. Other data is available indicating that other ships were supposedly sunk there, but only four of this size. Three of them are Vasa’s sister ships and one is a so-called prize of war, a ship taken from the Danes.

Contacts

For questions about the dives and results outside Vaxholm:

Jim Hansson, Maritime Archaeologist, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Phone: +46 (0)8 519 549 22, e-mail: jim.hansson@smtm.se

For questions about the museum:

Odd Johansen, Project Manager, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Phone: +46 (0)8 519 549 91, e-mail: odd.johansen@smtm.se

For questions about the museum’s maritime archaeology activities:

Anna Arnberg, Coordinating Archaeologist, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Phone: +46 (0)8 519 549 47, e-mail: anna.arnberg@smtm.se

Cecilia Eriksson
Communications Officer
cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se
Tel: +46 (0)8 519 558 43

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks is a new maritime archaeological museum that will be housed in a boat hall next to the Vasa Museum, at Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. The connection to the Baltic Sea will be natural, with the proximity to former navy yards and shipwrecks.

1,000-year-old underwater barrier discovered in Blekinge

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 11:14:00 +0100

On behalf of the County Administrative Board of Blekinge County, maritime archaeologists at the Museum of Wrecks examined six supposed ancient remains in Lyckebyfjärden near Karlskrona in the spring of 2021. Already back in 1995, a barrier installation was discovered in the south part of Lyckebyfjärden. During the dives last spring, the archaeologists were able to establish that they had found traces of another barrier on the seabed north of this one, between the islands of Hästö and Länsman.

A forest of piles
When the maritime archaeologists were looking for a shipwreck somewhere between the islands of Verkö and Länsman, their pulse began to race. What seemed like an entire forest of heavily eroded piles suddenly greeted them.

“It’s amazing to discover an unknown piling barrier that is so intact,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist at the museum.

The piles turned out to be mainly made of oak that had either been split or radially cracked. This is a method that avoids sawing off the fibres in the wood in order to better maintain strength.

“It made us realise that the barrier must be very old, given that from the 16th and 17th centuries onwards oak was increasingly rare. Several wood samples were taken in the hope of getting a good age determination.”

Felled during the winter of 1113
The dives ended – but not the curiosity about what the test results would reveal.

“When the dates came in, I was so nervous,” Hansson says. “But when I read the answer, happiness just washed over me. The piles had been felled during the winter of 1113 – unbelievable!” he exclaims.

Both barriers date to the early 1110s. The one found in 1995 likely also dates back to the 12th century. Previous C-14 dating (C-14 is a slightly less accurate dating tool) indicated the 11th century.

“There are thousands of piles that blocked off the straits heading in to Lyckeby,” Hansson says. “The fact that they built such large and extensive installations reveals the importance of the area. We can assume that there was activity in the area from the end of the Viking Age! Maybe the iron exports are what they wanted to protect, or was it protection against pirates?” he mused.

“This is a key piece of the puzzle in Blekinge’s history,” says Karl-Oskar Erlandsson, antiquarian at Blekinge County Administrative Board. “It reveals the living conditions during the tumultuous political era when Denmark and Sweden took shape as nations. We are thus pleased to have contributed to an increased understanding of what is hidden at the bottom of the sea.”

FACTS

The underwater barriers are dated to the winter of 1113
Important iron export trade along Lyckebyån
The area was Denmark’s last outpost against Sweden
The area was often ravaged by enemies

What is an underwater barrier?
A barrier installation, often called a piling barrier, is a wooden structure that was used to prevent ships from sailing into a port or passing through a key strategic sea lane. Usually, the barriers were built using wooden piles driven vertically into the seafloor and protruding upwards, ending just below or above the water’s surface.

The barrier could be supplemented with blockships, booms or chains. Although it is unclear how these were installed, a description by Olaus Magnus from the 1550s tells us how structures were made for driving the piles into the seabed from the ice. The identity of the barrier’s builders in Lyckebyfjärden remains unknown.

Blekinge’s early history
Several barrier installations have been found in Blekinge, some from the early Middle Ages. Blekinge became part of the Danish church’s dominion at the end of the 11th century, under the Bishop of Lund. According to Adam of Bremen, the residents of Blekinge became Christianised in the 1070s.

The Danish king’s power over Blekinge was bolstered in parallel with the church’s at the end of the 11th century. Written sources show that the Danish king had properties in the eastern part of Blekinge as early as 1182. We can see quite certain evidence of Denmark’s power in the 1230s in the Danish Census Book, commissioned during the reign of King Valdemar.

Several of these barrier installations can probably be linked to the need of Danish kings and other powerful men to control the sea lanes as well as their interests on land. Iron was extracted from morassy ore and swampy ore in the forests, and exported from the Lyckeby area as early as the 12th century. From the 1100s until the mid-15th century, iron was one of the area’s most important export products.

Contact

For questions, please contact:

Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist, Vrak. jim.hansson@smtm.se or
+46 (0)70-929 95 69

Mikael Fredholm, maritime archaeologist Vrak. mikael.fredholm@smtm.se or +46 (0) 0767-24 25 45

Karl-Oskar Erlandsson, antiquarian, Länsstyrelsen Blekinge län.
Karl-Oskar.Erlandsson@lansstyrelsen.se or +46 (0)10-224 02 27.

Cecilia Eriksson, communications officer, Vrak. cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se or
+46 (0)76-607 58 78

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
The Museum of Wrecks is a new museum dedicated to telling the history of the unique wrecks and remains in the Baltic Sea. The museum is a sister museum to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm and the Naval Museum in Karlskrona, and part of the state-run National Maritime and Transport Museums. Nowhere else in the world are there as many well-preserved wooden shipwrecks as in the Baltic Sea. The Museum of Wrecks brings their stories to the surface, while leaving the wrecks themselves and their objects on the seafloor where they are best preserved. The museum serves as a hub for shipwrecks, new discoveries and research throughout the Baltic Sea region.

Films (free use)

Film showing the 1000 year old wooden poles

(Patrik Höglund, maritime archaeologist from Vrak – Museum of Wrecks talks)

Download link, wooden poles. Vrak/SMTM:

https://streamio.com/api/v1/videos/620b9ec26f8d8da148000002/public_download

Film showing the pile barrier underwater

(Maritime archaeologist from Vrak – Museum of Wrecks investigate 1000 year old ancient remains in Lyckebyfjärden near Karlskrona).

Download link barrier underwater, Vrak/SMTM: https://streamio.com/api/v1/videos/620bb07f6f8d8d3112000002/public_download

Six warships from 17th and 18th centuries identified outside Karlskrona

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 16:40:00 +0100

It has long been known that wrecks lay at the bottom of Djupasund between the islands of Tjurkö and Sturkö. But no one knew how many and what they were. The museum’s maritime archaeologists have completed their investigation and can now identify the wrecks: the giant ship of the line Enigheten (the third largest from the 17th century), Wasa, the frigate Södermanland, the pleasure craft Disa, the brigantine Pollux and the skerry boat Simpan. These are ships with long and intriguing histories that were forced to end their “careers” by being transformed into underwater barriers to protect Karlskrona.

“It feels great to finally be able to identify these warships. There are few equivalents to this barrier in Djupasund,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist at the Museum of Wrecks.

The area was surveyed with what is known as multibeam sonar. The survey revealed six likely wrecks within the survey area as well as some other historical remains.

“With the aid of the survey, we were able to focus our archaeological efforts and document the wrecks more methodically,” says Patrik Höglund, another of the museum’s maritime archaeologists.

The archaeologists then compared what came to light during the survey with archival data that tells of sunken ships in Djupasund. Shipwrecks are often previously overlooked source material.

“Instead of speculating about what’s hidden at the bottom, we can now use archaeological documentation to obtain facts about the wrecks in Djupasund,” Höglund continues.

Survey results
The archaeological documentation, archive material and wood samples taken of the wrecks together helped to identify the ships’ probable identities.

“Through the joint investment, virtually all the shipwrecks have now been identified. These ships testify to a tumultuous time in Blekinge’s history. They were involved in naval battles with both the Russians and the Danes in the 18th and 19th centuries,” says Karl-Oskar Erlandsson, antiquarian at the Blekinge County Administrative Board.

Through archival studies, we know that the ships took part in expeditions to the Barbaresk States on the coast of North Africa in addition to commercial journeys all the way to faraway China.

The ships and the naval shipyard are crucial for understanding why Karlskrona was built and the purpose it served. Some of Sweden’s most famous shipbuilders, such as Charles Sheldon, Harald Sohlberg and Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, are represented in the wreckage in Djupasund.

In addition to the six wrecks, various installations were found: a pile of stones in the form of a pyramid with an adjacent wooden structure, and piles and wooden structures used during ship sinking.

“It’s amazing to be able to link the wrecks and remains to historical events, like when the English navy was threatening Karlskrona. It adds an extra dimension to the site,” Hansson says.

The results are also important for the research program The Lost Navy. Sweden’s “Blue” Heritage circa 1450–1850.

The dive park
The identified wrecks will be a boost to the dive park currently being planned in the project “Världsarvets g(l)ömda vrak” (Hidden and Forgotten World Heritage Wrecks) in Karlskrona. The Baltic Sea offers an ideal natural environment for dive parks, with well-preserved older wrecks and interesting natural environments.

“The museum has developed a proposal for a dive trail, where divers can see various exciting details that can also tell us something about the ships,” Höglund says.

Hansson adds, “It is also worth considering that these ships are pieces of the puzzle that make Karlskrona what it is today. The history of these shipwrecks needs to be brought to the surface so we can understand the world’s heritage as a whole.”

Guided dives will be arranged, and even people who don’t dive will gain access to these hidden treasures under the water’s surface via informational signs.

“These discoveries add compelling new narratives to Karlskrona’s maritime history and strengthen Karlskrona’s brand and attractiveness as a tourist destination,” says Monica Frisk, project manager for the world heritage wreck project in Karlskrona.

FACTS

Sunken ships

Södermanland (Grip, Gripen)
The ship of the line Södermanland was built in Stockholm and launched in 1749. Södermanland was just over 42 metres long and 11.3 metres wide, and had a crew of roughly 450 men. The ship’s armaments consisted of more than 50 guns. Later, Södermanland was converted into a frigate and renamed Grip (and later, Gripen). The ship made several sailing expeditions to the Mediterranean. During Gustav III’s war with Russia, the ship took part in many battles. In 1810, it was sunk in Djupasund.

Enigheten (Konung Fredrik)
The three-decked ship of the line Enigheten was launched in Karlskrona in 1696 and was one of the biggest ships of its time in the Swedish navy. The ship was just over 51 metres long and 12.5 metres wide, with a crew of more than 700 men. During the Great Northern War, Enigheten was armed with upwards of 90 guns and served in several naval battles. Enigheten was later renamed Konung Fredrik and converted into a two-decker. It was sunk in Djupasund in 1785.

Wasa
The ship of the line Wasa was built in Karlskrona and launched in 1778. Fredrik Henrik af Chapman was the ship’s designer. Wasa was 48.4 metres long and 13.6 metres wide. Its armaments consisted of 60 guns and a 550-man crew.

Wasa took part in many naval battles during the war against Russia during 1788–1790. In 1803, the ship was sold to the East India Company. Wasa made a journey to China, but it was repurchased in 1808 during the outbreak of the Finnish War. Wasa was sunk in Djupasund in 1836.

Disa
The pleasure craft Disa was launched in 1764 in Suomenlinna, Finland. The ship was the smallest vessel type, a so-called “Pojama”, of what is often called an archipelago pleasure craft, a type of ship intended for use in archipelago environments. Disa was 23.75 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. The ship had a crew of 105 men, and it was equipped with 18 mainly small guns.

Simpan
There is no known information on when or where this ship was built. No extant records exist of the ship’s history.

Pollux
In 1741, the brigantine Pollux was launched in Karlskrona. The ship was 28.4 metres long and 7.1 metres wide. A brigantine was a two-masted vessel with a gaff-rigged main sail that also constituted the ship’s mainmast. It had square rigging on the foremast. Pollux was equipped with 18 light guns, and was sunk in Djupasund in 1785.

Unrest and ship barriers
Several of the ships in Djupasund were sunk as protection against threats to Karlskrona and the navy. One example is from 1810, when the English navy was threatening to attack Karlskrona. The Swedes began preparations and sank several ships in the inlets, including in Djupasund.

Karlskrona
The Karlskrona naval base was built in the 1680s, when the base and shipyard were moved from Stockholm. Sweden could then approach its main enemy, Denmark, and act more quickly in the southern Baltic Sea, which had become an important tactic following the disastrous Scanian War of 1675–1679.

The ships and naval shipyard are critical to understanding why Karlskrona was built and what purpose it served. Beneath the surface, the many shipwrecks are a tangible part of what is today the World Heritage Site of the Naval City of Karlskrona.

Karlskrona project on hidden and forgotten wrecks
In 2020–2021, the Museum of carried out a preliminary archaeological investigation on behalf of the Blekinge County Administrative Board. The results serve as the foundation for planning the construction of a dive park in Djupasund, in the project Hidden and Forgotten World Heritage Wrecks.

The preliminary investigation covered an area with ship remains in Djupasund between Tjurkö and Sturkö in Karlskrona Municipality. The mission was to document, delimit and, if possible, identify the wrecks located at the site. A proposal for a dive trail was also developed.

Project participants include Karlskrona Municipality (project owner), Blekinge County Administrative Board, Region Blekinge, the Naval Museum (part of National Maritime and Transport Museums), World Heritage organisation, Swedish Navy, Blekinge Museum, Visit Karlskrona and Visit Blekinge.

The research program The Lost Navy. Sweden’s “Blue” Heritage circa 1450–1850
The program will run 2021–2026 and is a collaboration between the Centre for Maritime Studies at Stockholm University, the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums and the Finnish Heritage Agency. The programme is funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Read more here.

FILM
Underwaterfilm from Djupasund Foto: SMTM. See the film. Download the film.

CONTACT

For questions, please contact:

Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist, Museum of Wrecks. jim.hansson@smtm.se Phone: +46 (0)70-929 95 69

Patrik Höglund, maritime archaeologist, Museum of Wrecks. patrik.hoglund@smtm.se Phone: +46 (0)70-602 77 96

Karl-Oskar Erlandsson, antiquarian, Blekinge County Administrative Board. karl-oskar.erlandsson@lansstyrelsen.se Phone: +46 (0)10-224 02 27

Monica Frisk, project manager, Hidden and Forgotten World Heritage Wrecks in Karlskrona.
monica.frisk@gmail.com Phone: +46 (0)70-36 53 04

Cecilia Eriksson, communications officer, Museum of Wrecks. cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se Phone: +46 (0)76-607 58 78

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
The Museum of Wrecks is a new museum dedicated to telling the history of the unique wrecks and remains in the Baltic Sea. The museum is a sister museum to the Vasa Museum and part of the state-run National Maritime and Transport Museums (SMTM). Nowhere else in the world are there as many well-preserved wooden shipwrecks as in the Baltic Sea. The Museum of Wrecks brings their stories to the surface, while leaving the wrecks themselves and their objects on the seafloor where they are best preserved. The museum serves as a hub for maritime archaeology, new discoveries and research throughout the Baltic Sea region.

Address: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm.
www.vrak.se

The Crown Princess gets rock-solid knowledge at Museum of Wrecks

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 12:40:00 +0200

The Crown Princess is knowledgeable and dedicated when it comes to maritime issues, especially concerning the Baltic Sea. During our trip to the Osmund wreck, she seized the opportunity to learn more about the history of Swedish iron making and experience firsthand one of all the well-preserved wrecks lying at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Maritime archaeologists from the museum dived down to the wreck and checked that no looting or other damage had been done. As they filmed what they did, the Crown Princess could follow their efforts in real time and talk to the archaeologists via a screen inside the boat. The museum has adopted this technology for maritime archaeology investigations so that anyone can use their mobile or computer to dive down to the Baltic Sea’s unique cultural heritage right at home from the comfort of their sofa.

A time capsule

By pure chance, an ancient shipwreck was discovered in 2017 in the Stockholm archipelago, outside Dalarö. The ship had Nordic features and was built of Uppland pine felled during the 1540s. The ship was likely a type called a hulk.

The wreck is well preserved and rests heavily on the bottom, carrying a unique cargo of osmund iron.

“This is a completely untouched time capsule from Gustav Vasa’s heyday,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist at the museum. “Thanks to the Osmund wreck, we can learn more about how Sweden’s iron exports took off and which ships they sailed with. The ship is part of the answer to the question of how Sweden became the Sweden we know today.”

Iron made Sweden

“Never before has there been a wreck found in Swedish waters with this much osmund iron in the cargo,” says Catarina Karlsson, coordinator of historical metallurgy research at Jernkontoret. “The finds of both osmunds and bar iron tell of a transitional period straddling two production techniques.”

Background

The wreck’s archaeologists had previously examined the wreck and found large quantities of osmund iron on board, which is why the wreck was named the Osmund wreck. Osmunds are small, standard-size lumps of iron weighing just under three hectograms each that Sweden exported from the early Middle Ages up to the early 17th century.

In 2018, Jernkontoret’s historical metallurgy research committee initiated a research project to study the Osmund wreck, the ship’s cargo, the origin of the iron and the shipping route. The project is a collaboration between Jernkontoret and the museum, and it has attracted much interest worldwide in this research. Learn more about it on Jernkontoret’s website.

For more information, images and film footage, contact:

Cecilia Eriksson, Press Contact for Museum of Wrecks. Phone: +46-76-607 58 78.

Gustav Henschen Ingvar, Communicator at Jernkontoret. Phone: +46-8-679 17 18.

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

The Museum of Wrecks is a new museum dedicated to telling the history of the unique wrecks and remains in the Baltic Sea. Nowhere else in the world are there as many well-preserved wooden shipwrecks as in the Baltic Sea. The Museum of Wrecks brings their stories to the surface, while leaving the wrecks themselves and other objects on the seafloor where they are best preserved. The museum is the sister museum of the Vasa Museum and part of the state-run National Maritime and Transport Museums.

Jernkontoret – The industry association for Swedish iron and steel producers

Jernkontoret was founded in 1747 and has since been owned by Swedish iron and steel companies. The association represents the iron and steel industry in matters concerning trade policy, research and education, standardization, energy, the environment, sustainability and transport issues. In addition to leading collaborative Nordic steel research, Jernkontoret also compiles industry statistics and conducts historical metallurgy research.

Press conference: New spectacular shipwreck – A one-of-a-kind find

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 15:08:00 +0200

On several occasions the museum’s maritime archaeologists have collaborated with the navy to investigate a strait at Vaxholm, an island outside Stockholm. A discovery has now been made, and the results will be presented by Lars Amréus, director general of the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums (SMTM), at a press conference.

Time: Monday, 24 October, press conference to be held in Swedish starting at 15.00, (coffee is served from 14.00).

Location: Djurgårdsstrand 17, Djurgården, Stockholm

The museum’s maritime archaeologists investigate warship wrecks in several locations along Sweden’s coasts. The investigations are being conducted within the framework of the research programme “The Forgotten Fleet”, in collaboration with the CEMAS Centre for Maritime Studies at Stockholm University, Vrak/SMTM, and the Finnish Heritage Agency. The research programme is funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond foundation.

To sign up for the conference, please contact:
Cecilia Eriksson, Communications Officer, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
Phone: +46 (0)8 519 558 43, e-mail: cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se

Vasa’s sister ship Äpplet discovered – world-unique find

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 15:10:00 +0200

For press images and films, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.

On several occasions Vrak’s maritime archaeologists have collaborated with the Swedish navy to survey a strait at Vaxholm, an island outside Stockholm. In December 2021, a huge shipwreck was discovered there. Parts of the ship’s sides had fallen to the bottom of the sea, but the hull was otherwise preserved up to a lower gun deck. The fallen sides had gunports on two different levels, evidence of a warship with two gun decks.

“Our pulses spiked when we saw how similar the wreck was to Vasa,” says Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist at Vrak. “Both the construction and the powerful dimensions seemed very familiar. The hope of finding one of Vasa’s sister ships was sparked within us.”

A second, more thorough survey was conducted in the spring of 2022. During those dives, ship details were found that had so far only been seen in Vasa, and several samples and analyses were made. It emerged that the oak for the ship’s timber was felled in 1627 in the Mälardalen area, east of Stockholm – in the same place as Vasa’s timber just a few years earlier.

“The dimensions, construction details, wood samples and archival material all pointed in the same direction – amazingly, we had found Vasa’s sister ship Äpplet,” says Patrik Höglund, another maritime archaeologist at Vrak.

Previous finds revealed to be other ships

In 2019, the Vrak’s maritime archaeologists found two shipwrecks at Vaxholm that were thought to be Äpplet. But the surveys that took place at the time revealed that the vessels were instead Apollo and Maria, two medium-sized ships from 1648. The archaeologists refused to give up, and continued their search.

New knowledge and history

The discovery of Äpplet provides important new knowledge.

“With Äpplet, we can add another key piece of the puzzle in the development of Swedish shipbuilding,” Hansson says. “And it’s only now that we can really study the differences in the constructions of Vasa and Äpplet.”

“This will help us understand how the large warships evolved, from the unstable Vasa to seaworthy behemoths that could control the Baltic Sea – a decisive factor in Sweden’s emergence as a great power in the 1600s,” Höglund adds.

“The find is also valuable for those who want to uncover a new piece of exciting history through the old ship,” Hansson says. “Äpplet is part of our cultural heritage, so we’re arranging a lecture at the museum where we tell visitors more about Äpplet.”

Ongoing investigations

Vrak’s maritime archaeologists investigate warship wrecks in several locations along Sweden’s coasts. These surveys are being conducted within the framework of the research programme “The Lost Navy”, in collaboration with the CEMAS Centre for Maritime Studies at Stockholm University, Vrak/SMTM, and the Finnish Heritage Agency. The research programme is funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond foundation.

There is a diving ban in the area where the wreck is located.

Lecture on Äpplet at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

On Wednesday, 26 October at 6 pm, the Vrak’s maritime archaeologists will be on hand at the museum to provide visitors with more information about Äpplet. (In Swedish). The talk will also be broadcast live on our website at vrak.se.

About Äpplet

King Gustav II Adolf signed a contract in 1625 to build two large warships – Vasa and Äpplet. Barely a year after the sinking of Vasa in 1628, Äpplet was completed. The ship was designed by Hein Jakobsson, the same shipbuilder who completed Vasa. He realized that Vasa had the wrong proportions even before she was launched, which could lead to instability. So Äpplet was built wider than Vasa, but the construction still proved to be unsuccessful. Building large warships with several gun decks was problematic.

When Sweden joined the Thirty Years’ War in Europe, Äpplet was among the ships sailing towards Germany. The ship was deemed unseaworthy in December 1658, and was sunk at Vaxholm the following year. Read more at vrak.se/en.

Working both below and above the water’s surface

Vrak’s maritime archaeologists went diving to identify Äpplet and then returned to land to study the data they collected. Here’s what they did:

Measured deck beams and other parts to assess the ship’s size and re-create the shape of the ship
Collected material for creating 3D models
Took wood samples to determine where the felled trees grew and when they were cut (dendrochronology)
Studied archival material, which provided a starting point for dating and measurement data as well as facts about the history of Äpplet
Studied Vasa and other warship wrecks to find similarities and differences in details and construction methods

Contacts

Questions about the finding and results:

Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist, Museum of Wrecks. Phone: +46 (0)8 519 549 22, e-mail jim.hansson@smtm.se

Patrik Höglund, maritime archaeologist, Museum of Wrecks. Phone: +46 (0)8 519 548 74, e-mail patrik.hoglund@smtm.se

Questions about Vrak – Museum of Wrecks:

Odd Johansen, director, Museum of Wrecks. Phone: +46 (0)8 519 549 91, e-mail: odd.johansen@smtm.se

Questions about the research project The Lost Navy:

Leos Müller, professor in maritime history and director of CEMAS at Stockholm University. Phone: +46 (0)8 674 71 02, e-mail leos.muller@historia.su.se

Other questions:

Cecilia Eriksson, communications officer, Museum of Wrecks. Phone: +46 (0)8 519 558 43, e-mail: cecilia.eriksson@smtm.se

Images and film footage:

Vrak - Press room

Invitation to press briefing: Startling maritime discoveries made

Wed, 31 May 2023 15:08:00 +0200

The finds are unique in their kind and add new pieces of the puzzle to research in the field of maritime archaeology.

Live press briefing
The maritime archaeologists Jim Hansson and Patrik Höglund from the Museum of Wrecks will hold a presentation about the findings discovered during the investigation, conducted together with the Swedish Navy. The press briefing will be broadcast live and will be held in English. Afterwards, attendees will have the opportunity to book an appointment for interviews.

How to join the briefing
Date: Wednesday, 7 June, at 15.00 CET.
Registration deadline: Send an email to: press@vrak.se by 5 June.
A link to the online briefing will be sent to you by email.

We look forward to your participation!

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Sculptures from Äpplet shipwreck discovered

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:31:00 +0200

In the spring of 2023, maritime archaeologists at the Museum of Wrecks together with the Swedish navy once again set out on HMS Furusund and headed down to the wreck site of Äpplet, intent on documenting the hull through 3D filming. Already during the initial dives, sensational finds were made – divers discovered several wooden sculptures hiding behind the stern, including two large lions from the national coat of arms displayed on Äpplet’s transom. Next to the lions is a smaller, round sculpture in the shape of an apple, which would have been a kind of nameplate for the ship, formally known as Riksäpplet (“the Royal Apple”).

“I’ve been diving for more than 30 years and have never found a sculpture,” says Jim Hansson from the Museum of Wrecks. “To be part of finding the ones from Vasa’s sister ship Äpplet is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced!”

The finds are completely unique in their kind. No one would likely have thought that a retired, scuttled ship would have any sculptures remaining.

“To find Äpplet at all, and then realise that it was sunk with its sculptures still there, is something I never expected,” says Patrik Höglund, maritime archaeologist at the Museum of Wrecks.

The discovery will open many doors for new research that can help us understand how these sculptures were used as a symbolic language. It can already be said that the sculptures on Äpplet and Vasa show similarities as well as differences. On Äpplet, the archaeologists believe they have found the titan Atlas, which is not represented on Vasa.

“We have a really exciting and educational collaboration with the Museum of Wrecks,” says Peder Sjöholm, diving manager at HMS Furusund. “Of course, suddenly find a gaping lion staring back into the darkness down there tops my list during my professional life as a diver.”

The stern’s construction is partially preserved at the wreck site. This means it is now possible to understand the development in ship construction, from the unstable Vasa and attempts to find the right shape for a massive, heavily armed ship. The investigations reveal that Äpplet had both a higher stern and a different shape than Vasa, whose hull is not as wide and is narrower at the top of the stern castle. Details and differences in the construction of these two ships bring us much closer to the shipyard builders than before.

“This find clearly confirms why we need a museum about our cultural heritage on the bottom of the Baltic Sea,” says Odd Johansen, museum director at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks. “The museum has been open for less than two years, so it’s amazing that we can already announce this sensational discovery!”

Next steps
The navy’s involvement has been crucial in finding Äpplet. Much information was gathered during investigations of the ship, making it possible for the museum’s archaeologists to start creating a 3D model of the entire wreck site. And salvaging the finds from Äpplet cannot be ruled out either, though removing objects requires permission from the county administrative board. Äpplet will be a crucial find for studying the evolution of the massive ships during Sweden’s Age of Greatness.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the Museum of Wrecks,” says Ewa Skoog Haslum, rear admiral chief of the Swedish navy. “Besides helping people to better understand our maritime heritage, the collaboration has provided our divers with some great training. We’re developing our skills through this collaboration.”

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Facts
In 1625, King Gustav II Adolf ordered the construction of two large warships – Vasa and Äpplet. The ships were built next to each other at Skeppsgården in central Stockholm. Barely a year after the sinking of Vasa in 1628, Äpplet was completed. When Sweden entered the 30-Years’ War in 1630, Äpplet was in the armada that shipped troops to Germany. The ship, which had been built wider than the Vasa for the sake of stability, served for 30 years before it was deliberately sunk in a strait at Vaxholm in 1659.

Äpplet is discovered
Within the research programme “The Forgotten Fleet” (a collaboration with Stockholm University, financed by Riksbankens jubileumsfond), maritime archaeologists from the Museum of Wrecks, together with the Swedish navy, have investigated the area at Vaxholm several times where Äpplet was presumed to have been sunk. In December 2021, a huge shipwreck was discovered, and after further investigations and sampling the following year, it was concluded that Äpplet had finally been found.

Upcoming activities
Theme weekend about Äpplet, 10-11 June
Address: Vrak – Museum of Wrecks, Djurgårdsstrand 17, Stockholm

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New mysteries of Äpplet unfold

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:11:00 +0200

More sculptures were discovered when the wreck site was documented in the spring, including a 4.93-metre-long corner sculpture that should have appeared on Äpplet’s transom. The figure is still a mystery, but it bears similarities to Proteus, an early Greek god of the sea that appears on the Vasa ship at the bow. The sculpture’s placement at the stern of Äpplet is even more intriguing. What message does it hold?

During the joint dives of the Museum of Wrecks and the Navy in 2023, divers found the sculpture of the presumed Greek titan Atlas. It has now been documented in its entirety. The sculpture was likely on the transom and might be the second corner sculpture, meaning that Äpplet might have had two different figures on each side of the transom. The Vasa ship is missing one of the corner sculptures. The reconstructed sculpture has been made similar to the original, which makes the stern of Vasa more symmetrical. But was that the thinking in the 1620s? The new findings at the Äpplet site might offer an answer.

Äpplet’s deck division in the aft section also seems to differ from Vasa’s – an extra gun port has been discovered at the aft end of the upper battery deck. This is of great interest, as it can provide more information about the hull construction as well as spatial arrangement. The gun port seems to have been in the cabin, which differs from how Vasa’s cabin is situated. On Vasa there is no gun port there, which raises the question of whether the cabin on Äpplet was smaller or was constructed differently than on Vasa. Or was the cannon actually in the cabin? That would be unusual for the times. The width and shape of Äpplet’s hull is very different from Vasa’s. Despite the ship’s wider hull, which should have made it much more stable, there was an apparent experimentation with Äpplet’s ballast. A document from 1630 recounts that 1,540 larger cannonballs were stowed away as ballast – which probably indicates that Äpplet's sailing characteristics were not completely satisfactory despite its width.

Next steps

We are now excited to process and analyse all the material we’ve collected about the sculptures and 3D models. We are eager to dive back into the Äpplet wreck site because so many new questions have emerged. Äpplet holds the key to unlocking new and important information about how these mighty gun-equipped ships were built and how they were continuously improved. The old ship can also give us greater insights into the symbolic language and the minds of the 1620s.

For more information, please contact:
Jim Hansson, maritime archaeologist, Vrak/SMTM
jim.hansson@smtm.se
Tel: +46 8-519 549 22

Vikings are coming to Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200

At spring 2025 the exhibition ”Vikings before the Vikings”, compiled by the Saaremaa Museum in Estonia, travels abroad to be presented at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks in Stockholm, Sweden.

We’re very happy to present this exciting exhibition about the first Vikings at Vrak, says Odd Johansen, Director at the Museum of Wrecks.

Background on the Salme ship burials and the exhibition
Sometime around 1,300 years ago, a bloody battle took place in Estonia. On the island of Saaremaa, near the present village of Salme, over 40 fallen Scandinavian warriors were buried along with their weapons and other equipment in two ships on the seashore. Salme is the oldest known burial site of a Viking Age war band in the world.

The exhibition, which broke visitor records in Estonia, is coming to Stockholm so that everyone has the opportunity to get acquainted with this extraordinary find of the century, which has already changed and will certainly change our understanding of the Viking Age says Priit Kivi, Member of the board at Saaremaa Museum.

Thanks to the Salme find, we have gained a whole new insight into the earliest Vikings – who the men were, what ships they used on their expeditions, what equipment they took with them, how they fought and how they buried their dead.

The Salme ships are also an important source for the history of shipbuilding. The smaller ship has been uprooted, but the larger Salme ship has also been able to sail. It is thus the oldest known Nordic sailing ship.

The exhibition ”Vikings before Vikings” is produced by Saaremaa Museum, Estonia.
Ticket sales and the opening at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks will take place in the spring of 2025.

Contact
Odd Johansen
Museum Director, Vrak – Museum of Wrecks
E-mail: odd.johansen@smtm.se
Telephone: +46 733 70 63 11

Priit Kivi
Member of the board, Saaremaa Museum
E-mail: priit.kivi@samu.ee
Telephone: +372 5390 5561

Oldest carvel-built ship from the Nordic countries discovered

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 09:05:00 +0100

The wreck, located in Landfjärden near Häringe, south of Stockholm, is currently under examination. Preliminary dating suggests the ship was built in the 1480s or possibly the 1460s. Håkan Altrock, museum curator and project manager overseeing the investigation, describes the find:

“It’s a large ship, likely about 35 metres long and 10 metres wide. The ship’s frame still rises high above the seabed, and in the stern, both the sternpost and rudder remain upright.”

What makes this discovery particularly significant is its construction technique. “Unlike the prevailing clinker-built ships of the time, where planks overlap, this vessel was built using the carvel method, with planks laid edge to edge on a frame to create a smooth hull,” Altrock explains.

The shipwreck is one of five discovered in Landfjärden. According to historical records, these wrecks were originally thought to be Viking ships. However, their exact type and age have remained uncertain.

“A year ago, we dated three of the four largest wrecks to the 1600s and 1700s. We were also able to link one of them to a historical source from the 17th century,” Altrock says.

He continues, “We call this particular ship Wreck 5. It is the oldest and most intriguing of the wrecks we’re investigating in Landfjärden. We have confidently dated it to the 1480s, though the ship might have been built as early as the 1460s and later repaired in the 1480s. What we also know for certain is that the timber used to build the ship was felled in either Möre, in the Kalmar region, or in eastern Blekinge.”

The Museum of Wreck’s maritime archaeologists will now complete their project on Häringe’s maritime environment. After that, there are plans to establish Wreck 5 as a separate research project.

“We plan to apply for external funding for an excavation,” Altrock says. “This ship represents a fascinating link between medieval and modern shipbuilding. It has the potential to provide us with valuable new insights into an important period in Sweden’s maritime history.”

The carvel construction technique allowed for the building of stronger and larger ships. Many researchers believe its emergence was a response to the introduction of cannons on ships in the 15th century. The need for onboard artillery required vessels with stability and durability, as well as hulls strong enough to withstand enemy cannon fire.

Take a look at the wreck in digital 3D-model: Wreck 5 - 3D model.

For more information, please contact:
Håkan Altrock, museum curator and project manager
Telephone: + 46 8 519 548 08
e-mail: hakan.altrock@smtm.se

Discover the first Vikings – unique finds that rewrite history

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 07:45:00 +0200

Two 8th-century burial ships tell a gripping story of Nordic warriors who sailed the Baltic Sea – centuries before the official Viking Age began. Around 1,300 years ago, some 40 Swedish warriors met a violent end in battle on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia.

“What we have here is a mass grave of the Viking elite – strong, seasoned warriors in their prime, brutally slain in a foreign land and buried with great care,” says Odd Johansen, archaeologist and museum director.

The fallen warriors hailed from the Stockholm-Mälar Region and the island Gotland in Sweden, likely belonging to the highest ranks of their society. But why did they set sail? Was it a diplomatic mission or a raid gone wrong?

After the battle, they were laid to rest with great care in their ships, accompanied by weapons, game pieces and valuable possessions. The meticulous nature of their burial suggests that the survivors had secured the area after the fight.

“This discovery mirrors the sagas and myths we recognise from the Viking Age – warriors killed in battle, buried in their own ships,” Johansen says. “But this isn’t legend. This is real.”

Blood, swords and game pieces – unveiling the first Vikings

The exhibition features original artefacts from the burial ships – swords and sword fragments, combs, scissors, beads and gaming pieces. Among them is a striking find: a king’s piece from a game set had been placed in the mouth of one of the fallen warriors.

These ship graves push back the timeline of the Viking Age, predating the raid on Lindisfarne in 793 which was long considered its starting point. The larger of the ships, where 34 men were buried, holds clear evidence that it once sailed.

“The larger ship is probably the oldest known sailing Viking ship ever discovered, marking a key transition from rowing to sailing,” Johansen says. “This means that Swedish warriors were crossing the Baltic – and raiding its shores – far earlier than we imagined. They were Vikings before the Vikings.”

For more information and images, please contact:
Catrin Rising
Press Officer
Email: catrin.rising@smtm.se
Telephone: +46 73 735 1602

Record Number of Visitors!

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:37:00 +0100

VRAK opened in September 2021 and has increased its visitor numbers every year. In 2025, part of the permanent exhibition was rebuilt to make room for Vikings Before Vikings – a temporary exhibition produced by Saaremaa Museum in Estonia. The exhibition about the earliest Vikings has made a strong contribution to the increase in visitor numbers.

“We are incredibly happy that so many people have discovered VRAK and visited us during 2025. It has been a fantastic year, in which the Viking exhibition based on maritime finds, along with a public programme connected to it, has strongly contributed to this success,” says museum director Odd Johansen.

VRAK – Museum of Wrecks is located on the island Royal Djurgården in Stockholm and tells the stories of the people who for 10,000 years have depended on the Baltic Sea as a livelihood, a sea route, a battlefield – and a grave. The unknown world of the Baltic Sea is brought to life through exhibitions using creative digital interpretation, as well as public programmes and educational activities.

Part of the Swedish National Maritime, Transport and Military Museums (SMMTF)

VRAK is part of a government museum authority that manages and develops the Swedish Naval Museum, the Naval Museum, the Vasa Museum, Swedish Railway Museum, and from 1 January 2026 also the Army Museum and the Swedish Air Force Museum. The authority works with cultural heritage with the vision of broadening people’s perspectives through knowledge, experiences and engagement. Learn more at www.statensmuseermtf.se/en

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks nominated for Museum of the Year 2026

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:30:00 +0100

The Museum of the Year award is presented each year to a Swedish museum that has demonstrated innovation and social engagement. In 2026, the award will be presented for the 30th time. The award is jointly presented by Swedish Museums and ICOM Sweden.

The nominated museums testify to the impressive diversity and vitality of the Swedish museum sector. They combine relevance, knowledge and innovation, and serve as strong role models for how museums can contribute to a sustainable and democratic society, says Maria Sidén, CEO of Nääs Castle and Chair of the Jury.

Anyone can nominate their favourite museum. Based on the nominations received, the jury selects three finalists. The purpose of the award is to highlight outstanding museum practices and inspire others to deliver activities of the highest quality.

It is inspiring to learn about all the nominated museums and see how they address contemporary issues in a moving and engaging way. This year’s finalists are excellent examples of the role museums can play as knowledge brokers, forums for discussion and providers of meaningful experiences, says Christian Penalva, member of ICOM Sweden and project manager for exhibitions at Kulturen in Lund.

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks opened in September 2021 and is part of the National Museums of Maritime, Transport and Defence History. The museum aims to become a leading destination for maritime cultural heritage in Sweden and Northern Europe, and was nominated for the European Museum of the Year award in 2024.

We are delighted by the nomination for Museum of the Year and see it as clear recognition of our work to share the fascinating and little-known cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea with a broad and curious audience, says Vrak's Museum Director, Odd Johansen.

Jury’s motivation

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks transforms the hidden history of the Baltic Sea into a living and accessible cultural heritage. Visitors encounter a unique combination of research, immersive technology and storytelling, enabling them to explore a maritime world that few ever get to see.

The museum demonstrates how innovative, ethical and sustainable conservation can be shaped in new ways to safeguard our shared heritage. At the same time, it advances inclusive working methods that create space for a wider range of voices and inspire stakeholders beyond the museum itself. Through innovation, sustainability and participation, the museum points the way towards the future of cultural heritage practice.

Award announcement

The Museum of the Year 2026 award will be presented during the Swedish Museums' Spring Meeting in Uppsala on 21 April 2026. For more information, please contact Maria Sidén, Chair of the Jury, +46 70-813 38 25, maria.siden@naas.se

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Vrak wins Museum of the Year 2026

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:18:00 +0200

This is so incredibly fun and almost hard to take in, says Odd Johansen, museum director of Vrak, and continues: when we opened the museum just under five years ago, we knew we had something going on that tickles the mind of the curious. The award is recognition that we have managed to convey what all the fantastic wrecks of the Baltic Sea constitute, in a new and quite uncomplicated way!

Behind the award are the Swedish Museums Association and the Swedish ICOM. The jury's motivation is:

Vrak – Museum of Wrecks transforms the hidden history of the Baltic Sea into a living and accessible cultural heritage. Here, visitors encounter a unique combination of research, immersive technology and storytelling that enables the exploration of a maritime world that few ever get to see. The museum shows how groundbreaking, ethical and sustainable conservation can be shaped in a new way to take responsibility for our common heritage. At the same time, the museum develops inclusive working methods that give space to more voices and inspire actors beyond its operations. With innovation, sustainability and participation, the museum shows the way for the future of cultural heritage work.

Contact information

Maria Sidén, chair of the jury, +46 70-813 38 25, maria.siden@naas.se
Odd Johansen, museum director VRAK, +46 733 70 63 11, odd.johansen@statensmuseermtf.se
Mikael Dunker, communications officer VRAK, +46 778 46 14, mikael.dunker@statensmuseermtf.se