Vasa Ship Museum: Guarding a Mysterious Fate
I’d been looking forward to visiting this Maritime masterpiece – Scandinavia’s most-visited museum since I arrived in Stockholm. Then on a bright Swedish summer day, I waited in a long queue for around 20 minutes before eventually catching a glimpse of the ticket checker at Vasa Ship Museum. He gave the piece of paper I was clutching a quick inspection, then returned it with a smile, pointing towards the entrance with his left hand. This piece of paper served as both my access card for the next several hours and a keepsake I was sure to take home with me.
Vasamuseet, as it’s known in Swedish, is a dimly illuminated museum that unhurriedly reveals influential antiques. Although, when I first entered the museum, my senses were overwhelmed by the sight of a massive, 300-year-old ship. I was jolted with astonishment during the first several minutes! It’s hard to imagine how an ornate ship that had been submerged for millennia might have resurfaced intact one day. “When you allow yourself to be unexpected, they say, you walk from the familiar into the unknown, where everything is conceivable.”
On that notion, I marched in to immerse myself in a historically significant occurrence. I was instantly transported back to the 16th-century as soon as the tour guide’ first word entered my ear. Yes, the museum provides free English-language guided tours. You’ll end up frittering away like a lost puppy if you don’t have this. After all, in order to fully comprehend the destiny of the Vasa Ship, you must follow in the footsteps of those who know all.
The museum tour began with a few other international tourists, all of whom were enjoying the artistically-grand exteriors of the antique cruiser. I took a leisurely gaze at the ship from bottom to top, enraptured in awe of the massive construction. While my gaze was fixed on the carvings, I could feel the big hanging wooden windows peering in on me. Call it deja vu or a sneaky hunch, but I could feel mortal souls peering through a gap in the wall. Perhaps the treasure is still guarded by the unseen guardians who diligently constructed and rowed it in the sixteenth century.
How else could Vasa, 300 years later, emerge unharmed from the Baltic Sea’s womb on a Swedish coastline, wanting to be nurtured like royalty? According to legend, the Vasa’s stern scrollwork was gilded because of the power it had. Words were seldom uttered that were more true. So, in June 1990, the Swedish government established Vasa Museum to safeguard the royal pride that had emerged from the sea as if by magic. This is now Scandinavia’s most-visited museum, with over 29 million people visiting it annually.
Meanwhile, the guide proceeded to enliven the antique vibes with his lyrical words, describing the successful Swedish age during which Vasa was constructed and embellished. Indeed, history is fascinating! Vasa was primarily built to serve warfare and was designed by Swedish King Adolphus Gustavus in an artistically pleasing manner. However, King Gustavus had no idea that the ship he was building at the time would become the world’s most famous ship in the future.
I discovered that 400 expert artists and engineers turned Vasa into a magnificent dream as I casually strolled around admiring the prehistoric art on display. However, that isn’t what makes Vasa the finest ship in history! What matters is the aggregate weight of the ship before it went into the Baltic’ deep seas. Vasa was the heaviest ship in the line, carrying 64 bronze cannons. The weightiest ship to dock in Stockholm, sinking halfway through its maiden voyage due to the exact cause.
In the early ages, European naval fleet wars were a routine affair with nations competing for control over the Mediterranean trade route. Vasa, meanwhile, was built between 1611 and 1718 to take part in the Poland-Lithuania sea battle in which Sweden was involved. During this conflict, neighbouring territories battled it out for the control of the Baltic.
One of the reasons for this is that this medieval Scandinavian combatant ship was fitted with large-calibre weapons. Vasa was better suited for gunpowder weaponry and open waters because of its load-bearing capabilities and increased freeboard. One downside was that the movement of the ship was dependent on the wind. The wind, I believe, played a big influence on Vasa’ fate. Due to a prevailing high pressure, the angled sail may have been unbalanced, resulting in an unanticipated drowning. Or, could it be the density of its relative mass?
Vasa could, after all, fire 267 lb rounds from one side of the ship. Vasa, however, was not designed to engage in combat no matter how strong the wind or how hefty the opponent was. The retrieved items, including the cannons, are displayed against the massive ship’s backdrop. The necessary queue management ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to see the historical treasures in the order that they are presented. Starting with pennies and working your way up to undamaged skeletons! They have Roman-Greek-Swedish artefacts, utensils, and remnants carved in wood, pine, and linden in the spaces in between.
Nearly 500 antiques were retrieved from the depths of the ocean, each one intact. Dutch, European, Egyptian, mermaids, tribal males, ocean monsters, and Triton artwork are among the many discoveries. Handwritten messages, clothes, tools, weapons, and silverware are the other remarkable household objects discovered. Vasamusset has replaced some broken elements with new ones to safeguard Vasa’ beautiful essence and design. None of the replacement components have been repainted or chemically treated.
What can I say except that Vasamuseet is giving Vasa Ship all the love and attention she deserves. My guided tour had ended by this point, but I continued sauntering to fill my historic thirst, ruminating on the political foundations of Swedish dominance as well as marine archaeologists who had meticulously salvaged 70% of the ship’s possessions. Skulls and other noteworthy findings are on display in the main hall. Gunshots were fired to bid Vasa, a royal adjö as it took renowned warriors on board, these are the fabled relics of that time.
The ship’s tragedy may have dealt a stinging blow to the Royal Kingdom of Sweden in 1628, but Vasa’s strange return in 1961 compounded the excitement for the whole Scandinavian continent. “Shared delight is a double joy,” says a Swedish proverb. Swedes have maintained the legendary fate of the Vasa Ship in Vasamuseet to uphold it. I was astounded, and so will you be! The entrance fee to this monumental museum is only SEK 130 or EUR 13.
