The gates to the past: Stockholm's Swedish History Museum

The Swedish History Museum (Historiska museet or Statens historiska museum) in Stockholm, Sweden, is a government agency tasked with preserving Swedish historical items and making knowledge about history available to the public. The origin of the museum lies in the collections of art and historical objects that Swedish monarchs have gathered since the 16th century. As the Swedish Empire expanded, the collections grew through acquisitions, gifts, and spoils of war. Some of the collections were lost during the fire in Tre Kronor castle.

In the later part of the 18th century, art and antiquities were bought by Swedish ambassadors and members of the royal family, and the collections were turned over to the Swedish government after King Gustaf III's death in 1792. The Royal Museum (Kongl. Museum) opened in Stockholm Palace that same year, one of the first public museums in the world.

The Swedish History Museum was established in the Ridderstolpe House in 1847, according to archaeological arguments, but it wasn't until 1866 that Bror Emil Hildebrand founded the present-day museum. The collections were previously exhibited on the ground floor of Nationalmuseum, but they found the premises too small, and the debate about housing for the museum continued for decades.

In 1923, Sigurd Curman, Custodian of Ancient Monuments, moved the issue to a more concrete solution, and the Swedish government suggested the use of a former military barracks and stables at Storgatan in 1929. An architectural competition for the conversion of the block into suitable accommodation for the museum was held in 1930. The museum was built using funds granted by the Swedish government during the depression. The plans for the museum were not finalized until 1936, and the museum was designed by Romare and Scherman.

The museum's exterior reflects an ambivalence between modern and neoclassicist styles. The main building takes a step backwards from the street and consists of four two- and three-story buildings surrounding an inner courtyard. The façade is decorated with sculptures made by Bror Marklund and reliefs by Robert Nilsson. A piece called Näcken in the courtyard was sculpted by Carl Frisendahl. The museum features doors that are 4.5 m (15 ft) high and weigh about 1 t (2,200 lb) each.

Made of bronze, they were first cast at the Herman Bergman foundry and then chased by Marklund. Through a series of ten fields, the doors depict the history of Sweden from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. A noted deviation from the historical theme is the depiction of a standard, 1950s pilsner bottle on the far right side of the right-hand door, a common item with the workers who cast the doors and built the museum. The bottle was chased by Marklund.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons