Skansen reopened

The popular outdoor park has been open for visitors again since April 1.  

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  While you can’t expect the same crowds when you visit the reopened Skansen, you can expect much of the same activities and experiences. Photo: Emelie Strömfors/Skansen

• Skansen, which was completely closed for a period this winter, celebrated in a very limited way in 2020: During normal years, the world’s oldest open-air museum can see up to 30,000 visitors on Midsummer, but in 2020 visitors were limited to 6,000, and Allsång at Skansen — which traditionally opens after Midsummer — was held entirely without an audience. (The final evening of the televised outdoor sing-along program “Allsång från Skansen” will draw a whopping two million TV audience in early August. That’s 20% of the population tuning in.)

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  Photo: Ola Högberg/Skansen

• Since Arthur Hazelius founded the park in 1891, Skansen has become one of Sweden’s top tourist attractions, giving visitors — and certainly those whose ancestors emigrated from Sweden — an insight into how Swedes lived during the 18th and 19th centuries. About 150 homes, buildings and other exhibits from across the country were relocated to create “Sweden in miniature,” complete with industry and nature native to different parts of the country. The popular outdoor park reopened on April 1, 2021 and if you’re in Stockholm in the next few months, be sure to get over to the popular Djurgården island location, a short walk or 10-minute tram ride from the heart of the city. For more info, see www.skansen.se