Mr NordicOne of the best ways to experience the culture and history of a country or region is to visit an open-air museum. Special buildings are brought to the parks from all over the country to show history to everyone. We searched for the most special open-air museums from all over Scandinavia.
Skansen
The Skansen open-air museum on the island of Djurgården in the Swedish capital Stockholm is the oldest open-air museum in the world. In the park you imagine yourself in Sweden from days gone by. Although Stockholm’s busy city center is only fifteen minutes away, you will find an oasis of space here. The beautiful authentic Scandinavian houses are populated by people in traditional costumes who perform all kinds of crafts. All kinds of animals live around the houses that you find in Scandinavia. The park has more than 150 buildings and is an indispensable experience during a visit to the Swedish capital.
Skansen is not only the oldest open-air museum in the world, but will certainly also score high on the list of largest open-air museums. Spread over the sometimes hilly terrain are buildings that originate from Sweden. Houses, farms, shops, a church and school, you will find them all here. You will meet people in traditional costumes in various places who will tell you about where you are in good English. For children it is very nice that they can look inside everywhere.
Visit the official Skansen website.
Gamla Linköping
In the Gamla Linköping park (‘old Linköping’) you experience an old Swedish village as it was hundreds of years ago. Authentic wooden houses, streets with old boulders and beautiful gardens set the stage for this history lesson. A walk through the Vallaskogen nature reserve takes you to the Valla Farm, where animals are still kept and food is grown as it used to be. In no time at all, Gamla Linköping gives you a good idea of what daily life in Sweden looked like at the time.
Take a look at the official Gamla Linköping website for more information.
Norsk Folkemuseum
By boat you can reach the Norsk Folkemuseum in 15 minutes from the center of the Norwegian capital Oslo, an open-air museum with original historic buildings from all over Norway. You will find farms, houses, churches and an entire village built up in the open-air museum. One of the most extraordinary buildings in the Norsk Folkemuseum is the Gol stave church from the year 1200. All buildings can be seen from the inside, so you can perfectly taste the atmosphere of Norway from hundreds of years ago.
More information about a visit you can find on the Norsk Folkemuseum website.
Frilandsmuseet
As soon as you enter the Frilandsmuseet north of the Danish capital Copenhagen you step into another world. Along old country roads are original buildings from all over Denmark that give a good impression of the history of the country. In addition to the buildings of the many crafts, there are also six wind and water mills in the park. All buildings are fully furnished and can be visited from the inside. The open-air museum is large and therefore very spacious. It has recently become part of the Danish National Museum, which means it can also be visited in combination with the indoor museum.
Check opening hours and book tickets on the Frilandsmueet website.
Last Updated on October 25, 2019
