Skansen is a Musée of outdoor as well as a Zoological gardens located on the island of Djurgården at Stockholm. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius in order to show the lifestyle in Sweden during the last centuries.

At the 19th century Sweden, like much of other European countries undergoes deep changes. Its very rural lifestyle leaves the place to an industrialized company, letting fear with many people a loss of the history of the traditions and habits national. Artur Hazelius, which had before based the Nordiska museet on the island of Djurgården close to the center of Stockholm, then created the first museum of outdoor in the world on a close hill. Skansen formed part of Nordiska Museet initially, but became independent in 1963. However, the various objects located inside the buildings of Skansen always belong to Nordiska Museet.

Skansen gathers approximately 150 constructions coming from all Sweden, dismounted then gone up item by item on their final site, giving an overall picture on the life in Sweden while going of the poor farm villages to the rich person residences of the nobility.

The museum also presents a faithful counterpart of a small town with the workshops of the craftsmen who worked the Cuir, the money or the Verre. In the park of the museum, which extends on a surface from 300.000 m ², is a vast zoo which shows a large range of Scandinavian animals like some more exotic species.

Since 1903 the central place of the museum is at the beginning of December the place of a very popular market of Christmas, who attracts approximately 25.000 people per day.

External bonds

• VisitSweden - the official site of the Tourist bureau of Sweden

• the official site
• a photograph gallery on the museum