South Sweden Tour - Day 20

South Sweden Tour - Day 20

Today, after breakfast, we took the subway back into Stockholm. We wanted to make sure not to miss seeing the Vasa.

The Vasa was a Swedish galleon that was among the largest and most heavily armed warships of its time. At the beginning of its maiden voyage on August 10, 1628, the Vasa sank after only about 1300 meters of travel due to significant structural instability.

The construction of the Vasa was also a prestige project for Sweden at the time. It was armed with 64 cannons.

The maritime archaeologist Anders Franzén searched for the Vasa since 1951, cruising the Stockholm bay on a boat and systematically lowering a hand lead line. On August 25, 1956, in one of the lead bore holes, he found wood.

Diver Per Edvin Fälting confirmed that this was indeed the sought-after ship. The ship was remarkably well-preserved, partially because the so-called shipworm, which normally destroys all wooden objects in a very short time, does not occur in this part of the Baltic Sea due to the low salt content.

However, it was not until 1961 that the complete raising of the Vasa was achieved.

Today, the Vasa is the best-preserved ship of the 17th century and can be admired in Stockholm in a museum specially built for it.

This unique cultural treasure includes 98 percent of the original parts, including hundreds of intricately carved wooden sculptures.

The Vasa Museum houses not only the ship but also various exhibitions about the short, yet comprehensive history of the Vasa.

It was truly impressive to experience this ship.

On our way back, we passed by the Oscarskyrkan, built in 1903. It is one of the most significant churches in Stockholm. The three-aisled hall church has an 80-meter-high tower in the southwestern part of the building.
The church's main organ is regarded as one of the most important in the country and has also gained recognition abroad.

Additionally, we passed by several beautiful spots on both our way there and back.

Tomorrow we will leave Stockholm and head back to quieter areas.