Sweden (2) — Vasa Museum @ Stockholm
Stockholm has many museums. “Vasa” is special for its beautiful name, dramatic stories and insane visual experience! You probably never have imagined this: you buy a ticket, follow a line along some dark hallway, slowly move into a small entrance, you stretch a bit, give a yawn or two, try to wake up some more. OMG SUDDENLY, the light shines into your eyes, you found yourself walking into this giant giant hall, you lift head trying to see where is the roof, then you saw this humongous intact beautiful sophisticated wooden boat. While people around me were saying “wow..” I looked at my clothes “Oh shit, it is not some time travel, I am still wearing the cloths I put on this morning in the hotel room :D” That’s right, it resets the time and brings you back to the centuries ago.
In the 17th century, Sweden was rising to become one of the major powers in Europe. Vasa was a ship ordered for the war to Poland-Lithuania. Although, the decoration is beautiful, the ship is not properly engineered, it is tall and narrow, and it carries guns but the gravity center is too tall. On its maiden voyage passing Stockholm harbor, the gust wind makes the boat tilted, and the water pulls into the gun holes, the ship then quickly sunk. Many people trapped in the boat and get sunk with the boat …
(beautiful decorations cannot save the boat)
(Containers retrieved from Vasa)
Over the centuries, Stockholm people know Vasa was sunk at the Stockholm habor, but it was until 1950s, people were able to locate it. At that time, the drilling to the bottom of the water in the Stockholm habor found special type of dust, later confirmed to be the oak wood on the Vasa. To retrieve the wreck, the divers had to dig underneath the boat so that they can put cable through the tunnels to wrap around the boat. It was dark, cold and swift water down there. The lifting was done in 1961, where the water and sand were pumped out of the boat when it starts emerging the surface of the water. It has been 333 years since last time she was on ground. “Long time no see, dear Vasa.”
The boat was sprayed by special chemicals days and nights to replace the water in the wood. The museum is built around the boat to set up the temperature and humid control. We don’t know how long we can continue preserving it, it is still ongoing research. Using the remaining pigments on the boat, scientists recover the original color of the boat. So we know a bit more about it every day.
(chemical treated oak turns darker)
(how people dive in old days)
Vasa museum is honest and open, you can walk around the 5 stories to inspect any level of details of the boat. In the glass cases, you can even see the skeletons of the sailors found on the boat. Scientists are able to conclude their diet, their social status, what they were doing when the boat is sink. From this perspective, the historians sometimes are like detectives, and they both uncover the truths put together stories from evidences
(the engineering of lifting vasa)
(The story of Vasa is passing down to generations)
The museum is located on the island Djurgården, you can arrive there by taking 10 minutes ferry from old town. Unlike other places, it opens early like 8:30am. The ferry stop is near an amusement park. You saw people spinning on top of your head when getting off the boat 😀 It is not my strength to tell history stories. So I recommend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship) What’s better is to buy an airline ticket to visit Vasa in person ha?!