Museums in Vadstena

The Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum is a historical museum with an emphasis on the Middle Ages and the cultural heritage left by St Birgitta. The museum is located in the building where many of our stories take place, tarting in the palace that Birger Jarl had built for his son Valdemar in the 1260s.

The feasts of the knight's age are turned into the monastic life of Birgittaorden It is a rich story that takes us on a journey through time, through war invalides home, mental hospitals and now a museum.

Opening times 2022
5 March – 9 April: Saturdays 11-17.
14 April – 29 May: Thursday-Sunday 11-17.
1 June - 28 August: Daily 11-17.
Midsummer Eve (Friday 24 June) closed.
1 September - 9 October:
Thursday-Sunday 11-17.
15 October - 17 December: Saturdays 11-17.
Autumn school holidays (29 October - 5 November) daily open.

Vadstena Castle was built 1545-55 originally as a fortress by King Gustav Vasa to protect the country from possible Danish and Smålandish attacks. Soon after, reconstruction into a habitable castle began, when prince Magnus became Duke of Östergötland. By 1620, Vadstena castle was completed and is today regarded as one of Sweden’s best-preserved Renaissance castles.

Visitors can enjoy the castle alone or take one of the exciting guided tours.

Opening times
9–17 April (Easter holidays): Open daily 12-16.
18–30 April: Monday-Saturday open 12-16.
1–31 May: Open daily 12-16.
1–26 June: Open daily 12-16.
27 June–14 August: Open daily 10-17.
15 August–2 October: Open daily 12–16
29 October–6 November (Autumn holidays): Open daily 12-16.

At the Archives, you can explore a vast collection of written material and get help with information. You can also experience special exhibitions, listen to lectures or go on a guided tour. The regional archives have been in Vadstena since 1899. They contain detailed information about births, marriages, deaths, title deeds, crime registers and maps. Our largest archive is of Göta court proceedings, which occupies 5,5 km of shelving. Many private archives have also ended up in the Archive, for example from castles, farms, businesses and associations.

The regional archive is located in Vadstena castle. All the regional archives, with minor exceptions, are available for research. Exceptions include sensitive information, and the secrecy act. In addition, there are some individual archives, where the depositor has special conditions for archival access.

Opening times
Monday: 10.00 – 16.00
Tuesday: 10.00 – 19.00
Wednesday: 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday: 10.00 – 16.00
Friday: Closed

Summer Opening times (June-August)
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10.00 – 16.00
Wednesday: 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday: 10.00 – 16.00
Friday: Closed

Evening opening hours
16.00-19.00 on tuesday 8 September, 13 October, 10 November and 8 December.

Deviating opening hours
The reading room is closed on public holidays, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Deviating opening hours 2020
The reading room is closed on public holidays, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, 22 May and 30 October.

Current exhibition:
Moderarkivets äldsta dotter (Oldest daughter of the archives mother)
Jubilee exhibition: An exhibition on the 400-year history of the Imperial and State Archives riksarkivet/se/vadstena

www.riksarkivet/se/vadstena

In 2022, a new and very interesting exhibition about 19th century Vadstena opened. The exhibition "A half-sized small town" takes us back to 19th century Vadstena where we meet both (sometimes disappointed) visitors and the entertainment life of the time. In the newly decorated salon, the memory of the Holm family lives on and the drawings of Mayor Öhrström have, as always, a prominent place.

Take a nostalgic trip through the Toy Museum. The museum displays dolls and prams that Grandma played with and Grandpa’s toy cars are even parked somewhere! You might even find your old favourite toy – we have toys represented for every decade since 1900.

The Wadstena-Fogelsta Railway (WFJ) opened in October 1874. WFJ was one of the two first narrow-gauge lines in Östergötland. The 9.6 km long track was funded by Vadstena town and was built to provide access to the standard-gauge lines and privately owned Hallsberg-Motala-Mjölby railway, which was inaugurated one year previously in 1873. Today, visitors can ride vintage trains from Vadstena station during the summer months, lasting 20-25 minutes.

The hospital museum is in the so called "Stora Dårhuset" ("Madhouse") from 1757, in the centre of Vadstenas old hospital complex. The museum and outlines the development of mental healthcare techniques throughout the centuries - from Mårten Skinnare’s Hospital to the modern Birgitta Hospital.

Mårten Skinnare’s house belongs to the Old Hospital and is a medieval house with many interesting details.

Opening times
The museum is closed until further notice due to fire safety renovations.

Contact
,  +46-0143-62 16 00.

Visitors information Hospital Museum and Mårten Skinnare's House (in swedish)

The Sculpture Museum shows Östergötland-born Gottfrid Larsson’s (1875-1947) art. After studying in Stockholm, he was based in Paris for ten years at the beginning of the 1900's. On his return to Sweden he ran an art school in Stockholm between 1920-1932, together with Edward Berggren. The museum opened in Vadstena after his death and shows drawings, sketches and original artwork – all of which were in his studio at the time of his death. This includes emblematic works "The darkness flees the light" from the turn of the century extending to his later years of realistic portraits of both Östergötland residents and others. His official artwork can be found in Vadstena, Linköping, Norrköping, Stockholm and Uppsala. Gottfrid Larsson was a central figure in Östergötlands artlife until his death and is Vadstena’s most internationally known sculptor. In 1921 he was one of the founders of Östergötlands Art Association.

Opening times
The opening hours of the Lace Museum apply.

Admission: Free

Viewings
Enquiries regarding viewing can be sent to Göran Söderström, Vadstena, or Stefan Hammenbeck, Linköping.

Vadstena Lace Museum

In Vadstena and the surrounding area there is a tradition of making lace that goes back at least the 1600's.

The Lace Museum presents both lace-works and the people behind the handicraft like pricking-makers, lacemakers, dealers, travelling salesmen and toolmakers.

Further examples of lace are on display in a museum section for innovatory laces.

Opening times 2022
Summer opening 29th June 19.00.
Then open every day during the summer 13.00 - 17.00 until 14 August.

Admission: 20:- kr

Garden art
In the garden, bobbin lace works on the theme of "Houses" will be on display.

Exhibition 2022
2 x 102 Years
Elsa Peterson started her bobbin lace business in 1920 in Vadstena.
Ulla Fagerlin, born 1920. Well-known lacemaker.

www.spetsmuseet.se

The Lace Museum (Spetsmuseet) is located in Gottfrid-Larsson-Gården.

Shoe Maker's cottages

Both the cottages were originally located on Backegatan’s south side and in the 1820's there was a simple pub operating in one of the cottages. In 1910 the shoe-maker Karl Pontus Petterson became owner to both cottages. In 1957 both the cottages moved to their current location.

Opening times
The Shoe-Maker's Cottages opens on agreement with the Foundation Gottfrid Larsson Gården.

Admission: Free

On the 1200 m² site around 90 tractors, 80 motorbikes and mopeds and a number of engines are on display.

The tractors are from the 1920's through to the 1960's. They were manufactured in Sweden, USA, Germany, France, Czechoslovakia and England and were used in Swedish agriculture.

Smaller stationary engines have been used in milk machines, wood cutting, mills and the larger ignition engines used in sawmills and seed mills.

The motorbikes and mopeds are from Sweden, Denmark, England, USA, Germany and Czechoslovakia. On display are road bikes, military bikes and racing bikes. The oldest motorbikes were manufactured in the 1920s. There are also mopeds from different eras.

Opening times 2022
Weeks 20-35: Saturday and Sunday 13-18
July: daily 13-18
Additional opening times on agreement.

Admission: 30 kr

Veteran Days
16/17 July 10-17
During the Veteran Days, tractors, motorbikes, engines, etc. as well a stone crusher will be on display in operation. Hot beverages served and a large flea market!

Vadstena Motorcycle & Tractor Museum

The village of Hov was originally one of Östergötland’s largest villages with 15 to 20 farms. Skräddaregården (Skräddare's farm ) remains in the old village after the land reform of 1827. The site was built with a residential building and consists of a s.c. "parstuga" cottage from the 1700's, a brewery and a barn. Even though the farm was lived in to 1947, it has never been modernised. It is therefore of high cultural importance and was declared a monument in 2009.

Opening times
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www.hembygd.se/hov

Orlunda Radiostation

Travel back to the 60s and 70s! In the years 1961-1991 the long-wave transmitter of Orlunda was broadcasting the Swedish radio programme P1 covering parts of Northern Europe. Today the building functions as a museum. During the "Östgötadagar" we organize guided tours through the radiostation building and tell about how it was built and had been used.

Opening hours 2022
Saturday 14 May: 10-16, Guided tour every half and full hour
Sunday 15 May: 10-16, Guided tour every half and full hour
Tuesday 26 July: Guided tour at 9.00, 10.30, 13.00 and 14.30 Uhr. Pre-booking only in Salver.
Saturday 3 September: 9-16, Guided tour every half and full hour
Sunday 4 September: 9-16, Guided tour every half and full hour

Admission
100 SEK/adult, 50 SEK/child, free for children up to 5 years. Cash or Swish.

Organizer
Erik and Lena Klasén

Contact
Lena Klasén,  +46-70-5143 500

Location
Orlunda Radiostation

Stone Museum

In the tithe barn next to Örberga church there is a small stone museum with a copy of an early Christian grave monument (Eskilstunakista).

Opening times
daily 9-18.

Admission: Free

Skateboard Museum

One of Vadstena’s most unusual museums can be found in Borghamn - Lasse Söderberg’s Skateboard Museum.

The museum is connected to Media (second hand) market (medialoppis) in Borghamn and offers a mix of boards, wheels, shoes, helmets, knee pads, games and posters.

Opening times
Summer: thursday-sunday 12-17.
Other times: By telephone arrangement under +46-70-777 4154.

Admission: Free

www.medialoppis.se

Local History Museum in Östgöta-Dal

The museum can be found at Hovanäset next to Vättern beach just north of Borghamn. The museum is under construction and contains, amongst other things:
- The stone industry in Borghamn
- A shoe maker's workshop
- Old appliances
- Apartments from the 1920's and 1950's
- (Steel wire) craft items.

Opening times 2022
Saturday 3 September: 10.00-16.00
Sunday 4 September: 10.00-16.00

Admission: Free

www.hembygd.se/ostgota-dal

Jacob Berzelius

Jacob Berzelius, 1779-1848, was on the world’s most famous scientists. He developed chemical symbols and nomenclature systems, and discovered elements cerium, selenium, silicon, zirconium and thorium. He was born in Väversunda in Östergötland, and at his birthplace there is a memorial, erected at the centenary of his birth. On the Väversunda Church’s porch there is also a small exhibition about his life, open daily 9-18 in summer from May to August and 22 december to 6 january.

Trailer for the film "Jacob Berzelius - den store kemisten"

Ellen Keys Strand

Ellen Keys Beach was built in 1910 - 1911 and is a mixture of many sources of inspiration from Ellen Key: Art Nouveau, Italy and the Swedish manor house (herrgården), not least her own parental home Sundsholms herrgård outside Västervik. After many years without her own home she did it like many others at that time: she built her own dream house in which she could retire.

Guided tours
for single visitors, max 20 persons/guided tour. Pre-booking required. For prebooked groups, special tour times apply.
1–14 May:
Saturday-Sunday 11 and 14.
15 May–30 June:
Tuesday-Sunday 11 and Uhr.
1–27 June:
Saturday-Sunday 11, 12 and 14.
28 June–14 August:
Tuesday-Sunday 11, 12, 14 and 16.
15 August–31 August:
Tuesday-Sunday 11 and 14.
1-30 September: Saturday-Sunday 11 and 14.

Prices for guided tour:
Adults 120:-
Youth 7-15 years 30:-
Children 0-6 years free, no booking.

Contact
Alvastra, 599 93 Ödeshög,  +46-144 330 30

Ellen Keys Strand

Brandmuseum (Fire dept. museum)

Old fire-fighting equipment that already could be found in the 1870s. Documents on orders for equipment and construction projects, minutes of the city council on various resolutions. Many pictures of fires and films as of the hotel fire in 1961.

Let us show you the exhibition, or enjoy it yourself in peace and quiet!

Opening times
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Admission
Free admittance

Contact
Vadstena Kamrat Förenings Museum
 +46-70-537 6470.

Location
Fire station, Birgittas Väg 2, cellar entrance from the back