Comenius Project - Sweden19 – 26 March 2011

Stockholm: essential info

• Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is in the east of the country, where Lake Mälar flows into the Baltic Sea.

• Both the Swedish government and the Parliament are here, and here lives the king, Carl XVI Gustaf.

• The city is built on 14 islands linked by 57 bridges. For this reason it is called “Venice of the North”.

Stoccolma - Gamla Stan

Gamla Stan: it is the old town, the place where Stockholm was founded in 1252. Some of the oldest buildings were built in the 18th century.

Vasa Museum• It hosts the only 17th-century Regalskeppet Vasa, a ship that sank

on its maiden voyage in 1628. It was one of the biggest ships of that time: This nel viaggio inaugurale nel 1628, with a displacement of 1,200 tons.It was probably going to be used in the war against Poland, which was one of the main enemies of Sweden at that time.

• In April 1961, after having been lifted out of the sea (it lay at a depth of 32 m), Vasa was taken to the Stockholm ship yard, where it was sprayed with polyethilene glycol, in order to protect it from the air. Thousands of objects have been found in the ship, including the skeletons fo some members of the crew, their personl belongings and objects used on board.

• In 1981, the government decided that a permanent museum was to be built. 384 architects sent their projects and the museum was officially opened in 1990.

Skansen Open-air Museum

• Skansen is the most important open-air museum and zoo. It is located on Djurgården, Stockholm.

• It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius, who wanted to preserve and show the local way of life before industrial times.

• Visitors can experience what it was like living in Sweden in the past – here you can see historical buildings from all over the country. You can also animals who live in Sweden.

Margherita & Francesca