I’ve visited several ecomuseums during my travels. Skansen was not my favorite , but it is the oldest having been established in 1891. The Swedish Skansen, meaning little fortress, is located on the island of Djurgarden, the king’s hunting ground for 400 years ago. The whole island is a national city park that includes a small zoo of sorts, a garden, playground and the open air museum, Skansen, with its 150 historic buildings.
We visited a farm house, school, and a church with a barrel ceiling. Paintings at the lower edge of the ceiling were original in the 1700s church. Each painting was framed with a red leaf design painted border. Men sat on the right, the sunny side of the church, women and children on the cold left side. The clock on the church tower was painted, as watches did not exist before the 1800s.
At the school the children used chalk boards and a rabbit tail eraser. Reeds bound together with circular twine doubled as a switch and as a board pointer in the 1920s. Learning was done by memorization as there were no text books. In 1842 every parish had to provide a school and a teacher for the children. The teacher and his wife lived in a room next to the schoolroom. Because there was no electricity the school day was short. A small stove heated the schoolroom.
There is a large restaurant on the island where we enjoyed a good lunch. Afterward we walked down to see the animals. We also saw rune stones dating to the Viking era. Rune means secret.
Ecomuseums have become quite popular in recent years and provide a peek into the past. It was an interesting visit and as usual I saw and found a few things I had not seen before. I’m always looking for something new.
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