Skansen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Skansen

Main entrance
Established	11 October 1891 (1891-10-11)
Location	Djurgården, Stockholm, Sweden
Type	Open-air living museum and zoo
Visitors	1,369,431 (2016)

Skansen is a super cool place in Stockholm, Sweden. It's the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden! It opened way back on October 11, 1891. A man named Artur Hazelius started it. He wanted to show everyone what life was like in different parts of Sweden before big factories and modern times changed everything.

The name "Skansen" is now used for other open-air museums too. You can find places like it in Europe and even in the United States.

Discovering Skansen's History

People enjoying a folk dance at Skansen in 1904.

Skansen staff in 1896, showing traditional clothing.

A walrus being fed at Skansen in 1908.

In the 1800s, Sweden was changing fast. People were moving from farms to cities. Artur Hazelius worried that old traditions and ways of life might be forgotten. He had already started the Nordic Museum in Stockholm. He got the idea for Skansen from another open-air museum in Norway. Skansen then became a model for many other museums like it.

Skansen was first part of the Nordic Museum. But in 1963, it became its own separate place. Even today, the old items inside Skansen's buildings still belong to the Nordic Museum.

Artur Hazelius traveled all over Sweden. He bought about 150 old houses and buildings. He even bought one from Norway! These buildings were carefully taken apart. Then, they were shipped to Skansen and rebuilt. This created a unique picture of how people lived long ago. Almost all the buildings are original. Only three were copied exactly from old designs. You can go inside these buildings. They show everything from a fancy manor house built in 1680 to simple farmhouses from the 1500s.

Exploring the Open-Air Museum

More than 1.3 million people visit Skansen every year. The museum covers a huge area, about 75 acres. It has a full copy of a 19th-century town. Here, you can see craftsmen dressed in old-fashioned clothes. They show how people used to work. You can watch tanners, shoemakers, and bakers. There are also silversmiths and glass-blowers. They all work in buildings that look just like they did long ago. There's even a small field where tobacco is grown.

Animals at Skansen Zoo

Skansen also has a fun zoo! You can see many animals from Scandinavia. These include brown bears, moose, and grey seals. You might also spot Eurasian lynxes, Arctic foxes, and otters. There are reindeer, harbour seals, and large birds like the Eurasian eagle owl. You can also see great grey owls and wolverines. Plus, there are some animals from other parts of the world. Skansen also has farm areas. Here, you can see rare kinds of farm animals.

Fun Events and Activities

In early December, Skansen hosts a very popular Christmas market. It's held in the central Bollnäs square. This market has been happening since 1903! About 25,000 people visit it every weekend. In the summer, you can watch exciting folk dancing shows. There are also many concerts to enjoy.

Riding the Funicular Railway

Since 1897, you can ride a special train at Skansen. It's called the Skansens Bergbana, which is a funicular railway. It goes up the northwest side of the Skansen hill. The funicular is about 196 meters long. It climbs up about 34 meters in height.

You can also get to Skansen by taking the trams on line 7.

Keepers of Skansen

Gallery

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  Skogaholm Manor

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  The west wing of Skogaholm Manor in early summer. It contains a library, china pantry and five guest rooms.

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  Allsång på Skansen ("Sing-along at Skansen") is a popular annual event.

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  World's largest cigar at the Tobacco and Matchstick Museum

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  Skansen on a winter afternoon

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  Summerhouse of Swedenborg

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  The funicular railway

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  A Sami hut

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  Seglora Church

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  A brown bear at Skansen

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  House from Blekinge County now at Skansen

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  A docent demonstrating spinning at Skansen

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  Entrance Building

See also

In Spanish: Skansen para niños

• Culture in Stockholm
• Royal National City Park
• The Baltic Sea Science Center, located on the same site
• Västernorrland County Museum