The National Museum
National Museum, known as Nationalmuseum in Sweden, showcases art and design. The museum is owned by the government to preserve cultural heritage, promote art, and share knowledge of art. Collections date back from the 1500s up to present day.
The National Museum building
Although the building itself is a piece of Art, it also has a bit of history behind it. The original museum was called the Royal until the beginning of construction of the current museum in 1845. The current museum was designed by Friedrich August Stüler, a well known Prussian architect and builder of the time. It was one of the most expensive projects at the time taking over 20 years to complete.
Since its completion there have been many more changes and renovations to modernize. Several collections moved to their own museums. Contemporary art moved to Moderna Museet, the Royal Coin Cabinet became its own museum, and the East Asian collection formed the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. Other updates included adding urinals in 1868 and washrooms for the ladies in 1915, adding electricity, removing the expensive heating cost of coal, and adding new technology for an improved climate
The Museum
Today, the National Museum has about 700,000 artifacts in the permanent exhibits and several addtional artifacts in the temporary exhibits spanning over three floors. Some of the collections include the Sculpture Courtyard and the Children’s Art World on the main floor. The middle and top floors display collections by era. The top floor showcases artwork from the 16th through the 18th centuries and the middle floor showcases artwork from the 1800s to present day. There are also temporary exhibitions on both the top and middle floors.
Entry to the museum is free but require check in on the main floor. Admission fees for temporary exhibitions are 85 to 179 SEK for adults and free for visitors under 20 years of age. The museum also has a restaurant, a café & bar, and a gift shop on the main floor.
Next week’s Stockholm Museum Series will feature The Royal Palace. Read about other museums in our first article Stockholm Museums.
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