Page 98 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Stockholm

96  ST OCKHOLM AREA B Y AREA

Exploring the Vasamuseet

The Royal Warship Vasa has been restored to 98 per cent of its
original appearance. The low salt content of the water saved
the ship’s timber – which came from thousands of oaks – from
attacks by shipworms. The hull was all present, but fitting the
13,500 loose pieces together was like doing a jigsaw puzzle
without a picture, as there were no detailed designs to follow.
The salvage operation produced more than 700 sculpted figures
and carved ornaments, as well as many everyday items. A sailor’s simple belongings found on Vasa

war propaganda. fully equipped, and the divers
Many of the were able to recover many
builders and everyday items, including
carpenters who food and drink. But when the
worked in the chief diver, Per Edvin Fälting,
shipyard that built tasted the 333-year-old butter
Vasa came from from a tub made of wood
Holland, while most and tin, sores erupted around
of the sculptors, his mouth.
whose work was The museum has full-scale
typical of the late models of a part of Vasa ‘s upper
Carved soldiers on Vasa’s stern Renais sance and gun deck and the Admiral’s
early Baroque eras, cabin. The sailors and soldiers
came from Germany. The had to eat and sleep on deck
The Ship
German wood carver Mårten among the cannons. No wonder
In 1628 Vasa was potentially Redtmer made most of the that in the 17th cen tury more
one of the world’s mightiest ship’s larger sculptures. died from illness than in battle.
ships. It was able to carry 64 Created out of oak, pine and In a fascinating exhibition
cannons and 300 soldiers (out lime wood, the figures were of original artifacts, you can
of a total 450 men on board). inspired mainly by Greek see the medical equipment
Vasa was equipped for both mythology, as well as the Bible that was used, an officer’s
traditional close combat and for and 17th-century Swedish backgammon game, some of
artillery battles. From its high royal personalities. the sailors’ wooden spoons and
stern it would have been plates and the officers’ dinner
possible to fire down on Life on Board service in pewter and earthen-
smaller ships. The musketeers ware. The divers also found
had shooting galleries for Vasa’s first destination on its about 4,000 coins, made mainly
training, and on the upper deck maiden voyage, with about 150 from copper, and a chest still
were so-called “storm pieces”, people on board, was intended neatly packed with hats, clothing
erected as protection against to be the Älvsnabben naval and other personal belongings.
musketry fire. base in the southern Stockholm Replicas of some of these
All this may appear very archipelago, where 300 soldiers artifacts are on sale in the
impressive, but it is uncertain were to embark. The ship was museum shop.
exactly what the ship’s role
would have been if it had The Salvage Operation
survived. The main task of the
Swedish navy at that time had The marine archaeologist Anders Franzén had been looking for Vasa
been to transport weapons for many years. On 25 August 1956 his patience was rewarded, when
and soldiers as well as to he brought up a piece of blackened oak on his plumb line. From the
protect shipping or block autumn of 1957, it took divers 2
harbours. It seems doubtful that years to clear tunnels under the
Vasa would have been suitable hull for the lifting cables. The first
for these roles. lift with six cables was a success,
after which Vasa was lifted in
16 stages into shallower water.
The Imagery of Power Thousands of plugs were then
The warship’s many figures and inserted into holes left by rusted
elaborately carved ornaments iron bolts. The final lift started on
formed an important part of 24 April 1961, and on 4 May Vasa Vasa in dry dock after being
that era’s language of power was finally towed into dry dock. salvaged between 1956 and 1961
and were designed as a type of

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