ESSA Stockholm: Skansen Open Air Museum

 

At Skansen, there was a variety of things to do. It felt a lot like local fairs in the United States but a little more permanent. When we first entered, we walked uphill to a grouping of old-fashioned-looking buildings. There was a bakery with delicious cinnamon twists and cardamom rolls (a Swedish specialty) and a cafe-style restaurant with amazing open-faced salmon sandwiches, gnocchi, and pumpkin soup. An accordionist, guitarist, and bassist provided live folk music for our meal. Further up the hill was an amphitheater for live performances, a zoo featuring Nordic animals, a children’s petting zoo, and much more.

The emphasis of all these things was regional. Like the animals featured in their zoo, The architecture, cuisine, and flora were all centered around the Nordic area. According to Dr. Oscarson, the park started as a few buildings built in the old Swedish style with lots of wood and timber. As time marched on, however, they introduced glassblowing huts, blacksmiths, and food stands from other periods across Swedish history. Now you can buy hand-smithed hinges made with period blacksmithing techniques, cotton candy, and crocheted flowers and bags. It was like reading the growth rings on a cross-section of Nordic history.

In this way, you get to experience various periods of Swedish history in a way that is actually a lot of fun. I imagine young, Swedish students learning about history who then come to this place would gain a far deeper appreciation for their history after they’ve seen, tasted, and touched it. It wasn’t only Swedes at the park, though. I heard Italian, Spanish, plenty of English, and other languages while exploring. This was an international, cultural destination for tourists and students alike, and it’s placed right in the heart of the country’s capital. Stockholm is celebrating its own culture and at the same time, it is sharing it with the world making it a political as well as cultural capital.