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 2021
Vadstena Castle is closed until further notice.
Guided tours will not be offered until the restrictions are eased.
Admission:
Adults 90 kr
Pensioners & Students (ID required): 80 kr
Children (8 - 17) 70 kr
Children under 8 free
Other prices apply for entry with guided tours.
Contact
+46-143-62 16 00
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
Limited and varying opening hours. For up-to-date information, see the URL below.
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
The Vadstena Town Museum exhibits Vadstena life from the 1400’s, with a focus on town residents’ history and everyday life. Since 1949, the Vadstena Town Museum has been located in a medieval building next to the old town hall. It is run by volunteers (Vadstena Town Museum Association).
Opening times
The museum is open from mid-June to mid-August. Exceptions apply.
Extra opening times and group tours can be arranged on agreement.
Contact or ring +46-10-476 87 31.
This modern and exciting museum has been located in House of Folkungar's (House of Bjelbo's) Palace since 2003, located next to the Monastery (Kloster) Church. The palace was built in 1260 and later became a nunnery. The museum tells the story of life in the palace, monastery and monasticism during the medieval times, as well as Saint Birgitta’s life and work.
Opening times 2021
Sancta Birgitta Klostermuseum is temporarily closed.
Guided theme tours are in Swedish and can be booked on the homepage. If places are available,
a ticket can be purchased at the museum before the tour begins.
Guided theme tours always start at the museum.
The museum is open for booking throughout the year.
Admission museum
Adults: 80:-
Children (8-17): 40:-
Admission museum and guided theme tour
Adults: 130 kr
Children (8-17): 90 kr
Contact
+46-73-855 0031
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.
Opening times
Open daily on weekdays from 8.00 and weekends from 9.00.
January-April: open to 15.00
May: open to 16.00
June - August: open to 18.00 (Midsummer eve 15.00)
September: open to 16.00
October-December: open to 15.00
(Christmas to new year - closed)
Admission
Admission to Toy Museum, Camera Museum and Photo Exhibitions
Adults: 60 kr
Children (5-15 years): 45 kr
Families (2 adults and 2 children): 180 kr
Groups (minimum 15 people): Adults 45 kr, Children (5-15 years) 30 kr
Note! Admission extends for 1 year, to give access the different photo exhibitions throughout the year!
The Camera Museum is run by the Press Photographers Club (PFK) and the Slottsgården. There are about 500 cameras on display, from glassplate-based models through to the digital era. Including Jönköpings-Postens first ‘reporting camera’ (bought in 1925). The museum also displays photo exhibitions, including the annual winner of Sweden’s oldest and most prestigious competition: Årets Bild (Photo of the Year).
Opening times
Open daily on weekdays from 8.00 and weekends from 9.00.
January-April: open to 15.00
May: open to 16.00
June - August: open to 18.00 (Midsummer eve 15.00)
September: open to 16.00
October-December: open to 15.00
(Christmas to new year - closed)
Admission
Admission to Toy Museum, Camera Museum and Photo Exhibitions
Adults: 60 kr
Children (5-15 years): 45 kr
Families (2 adults and 2 children): 180 kr
Groups (minimum 15 people): Adults 45 kr, Children (5-15 years) 30 kr
Note! Admission extends for 1 year, to give access the different photo exhibitions throughout the year!
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. Café car.
Timetable 2020
Ordinary service to Quisberg's Alley.
Saturday 13 June: 13.00 Special train to new stop for official opening of Quisbergs Alley.
Wednesdays 17 June - 12 August. Departure 17, 18, 19, 20.
Sundays 21 June - 16 August. Departure 13, 14, 15, 16.
Saturdays 4 July - 25 July. Departure 13, 14, 15, 16.
Departure from Quisberg's Alley 15 minutes later.
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September: Östgötadagarna
Preliminary railcar service 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16 as well as Hjulkafé (Café car) 10-17.
Saturday 26 September: Museumday 12.00-15.00.
www.wfj.se - Timetable - Calender -
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.
Visitors information Hospital Museum and Mårten Skinnare's House (in swedish)
Opening times
The hospital museum (Great Madhouse) is closed for renovation.
Contact
, +46-0143-62 16 00.
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.
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 2020
Closed 2020.
Admission: 20:- kr
Garden art
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Exhibition 2020
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The Lace Museum (Spetsmuseet) is located in Gottfrid-Larsson-Gården.
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 2020
Weeks 20-35: Saturday and Sunday 13-18
July: daily 13-18
Additional opening times on agreement.
Admission: 30 kr
Veteran Days
11/12 July 10-17
During Veteran’s days we display veteran tractors, ploughs, harvesters and a stone crusher in service.
Hot beverages served and a large flea market!
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.
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
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
By telephone arrangement under +46-70-777 4154.
Admission: Free
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
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Admission: Free
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.
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, 1 - 10 persons.
Pre-booking required.
For larger companies and groups of travellers, special tour times apply.
1 May–15 May: Saturday, Sunday and on holidays 11 and 14
16 May–30 June:
Tuesday-Sunday 11 and 14
1 July–15 August:
Tuesday-Sunday 11, 12, 14 and 16r
16 August–31 August:
Tuesday-Sunday 11 and 14
1-30 September: Saturday, Sunday and on holidays 11 and 14
Alvastra, 599 93 Ödeshög, +46-144 330 30
Ellen Keys Strand
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
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.
Guided tours
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Admission
100 SEK/adult, 50 SEK/child, free for children up to 5 years. The number of visitors is limited to 15
participants/tour. Pre-booking is required via Salver.
The income will be used in full for the maintenance, operation and restoration of the facility,
which has suffered under the ravages of time.
Organizer
Orlunda radiostation
Contact
Lena Klasén, +46-70-5143 500
Location
Orlunda Radiostation
