A new marine archeology museum is opening at Djurgården!

A new marine archeology museum dedicated to the Baltic Sea’s unique cultural heritage is set to open at Royal Djurgården! The Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums recently discovered two incredibly well-preserved wrecks from the Middle Ages and the Vasa period when diving in the Stockholm archipelago, and now they are investing in plans for a new museum. The museum aims to preserve and teach visitors about the Baltic Sea’s cultural heritage and bring the wreck’s stories to the surface!

Djurgården is already home to one of the world’s most famous ships: the Vasa ship, which you can find at the appropriately-named Vasa Museum. And there are actually a lot of shipwrecks waiting to be found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea – many of which are still intact – as wood-degrading organisms, like shipworms, do not thrive in brackish water.

According to Baltic Sea Treasures’ project leader Nina Eklöf, there are at least one hundred intact ships at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Several ships from the 17th and 18th centuries have been found in the last few years, but these two newly-discovered ships are significantly older.

Jim Hansson, a marine archaeologist at the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums, who was part of the discovery team, said his heart was racing as he’d never seen such well-preserved shipwrecks before!

It looks like the first shipwreck is a medieval cog from the 14th-15th century: a square-rigged vessel measuring 23-25 metres long and seven metres wide. There are also several clues to suggest it might be from the Middle Ages; such as the protruding deck beams, unusual hulls and basic windlass. The cog was the first of its kind; it was a large and powerful ship that came to dominate trade around the Baltic Sea for centuries.

The second wreck is from the 16th century: a fully-equipped ship with its mast still standing. The divers also found just over 20 barrels of Osmond iron and kitchen utensils and equipment onboard the ship. Compared to previous maritime discoveries, this amount of iron is unparalleled!

Osmond iron has been used a lot in Sweden and has also been supplied to other countries around the Baltic Sea. Gustav Vasa actually wanted to ban iron, and this was also the case in 1604 when Osmond iron was replaced with iron rods.

We can’t wait for the new marine archeology museum to open here at Djurgården!

If you want to read more about our work with sustainability, visit sustainable.royaldjurgarden.se/en  

The Museum of Wrecks increases scientific knowledge, develops research capacity and transfers marine technology to protect the Baltic Sea (14.a)

The Museum of Wrecks leaves the marine cultural treasures at the bottom of the sea and uses technology to show them (12.8)

The Museum of Wrecks is part of the national and international partnerships that aim to strengthen the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea (17.17)