Wow! This museum was incredible.
On August 10, 1628, the warship, Vasa, sank after only sailing 1,400 yards in the Stockholm harbor. King Gustavus Adolphus had ordered the ship to be built as part of a military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania. One of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world, with 64 brass cannons cast specifically for the ship. It was richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and for himself - as shown by the numerous carved lions which decorated the ship.
The Vasa's valuable cannons were salvaged in the 17th century, but then she fell into obscurity until 1956 when Anders Franzen, a researcher into ship wrecks in the 16th and 17th centuries, pinpointed her location. She was successfully raised in 1961.
The Vasa was dangerously unstable with too much weight in the upper part of the hull. Despite this issue, she was ordered to sea and sank in a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze. The king was impatient to see Vasa take her place as a flagship, and his subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the issues or postpone the voyage. A later inquiry was unsuccessful in finding people to punish...
Between her recovery in 1961 and the beginning of 2025, Vasa has been seen by over 45 million visitors.
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