Armémuseum

About the museum

Armémuseum is housed in the old arsenal at Artillerigården on Östermalm in Stockholm. As early as the 17th century there was an arsenal here, that is, a store for artillery pieces and weapons. The present stone building was completed in 1770 to drawings by Carl Johan Cronstedt and Carl Ehrensvärd. Since 1935 all the buildings at Artillerigården have been nationally protected listed buildings.

Svea artilleriregemente (Svea Artillery Regiment) moved out in 1877, and two years later the Artillerimuseum opened in the premises. The museum closed in 1932 for rebuilding and reopened eleven years later under the name Armémuseum. From 1963 it had access to the whole building, and the foundation of the basic exhibition was laid in the 1990s before it was renovated and supplemented in 2013–2014.

Armémuseum is today part of the agency Statens museer för maritim-, transport- och försvarshistoria (Swedish National Museums of Maritime, Transport and Defence History). The exhibitions depict the soldiers, their families and society in war and peace, from the Thirty Years' War to the Cold War, and are based on collections of weapons, uniforms, flags and trophies.

The museum has announced that during 2027 it will close on Riddargatan to move into larger and more suitable premises. Where the move will go has not yet been decided.

Highlights

• War and peace from the 16th to the 19th century, with field camps and soldiers' lives
• War and peace in the 20th century, from Boden Fortress to the Cold War
• Raoul Wallenberg's room
• Modern weapons, including the hummingbird pistol
• Restaurang Artilleriet beneath the stone vaults

Permanent exhibitions

• Krig och fred 1500–1800-talet – The exhibition depicts the soldiers and their families, from the field camps of the Thirty Years' War and the Caroleans to the building of the Göta Canal.
• Krig och fred 1900-talet – The world wars, conscription, the People's Home, the wartime readiness years and the Cold War, told through life stories, objects and pictures.
• Raoul Wallenbergs rum – The exhibition tells of Raoul Wallenberg's rescue efforts in Budapest in 1944.

Founded

1879

Operated by

Statens museer för maritim-, transport- och försvarshistoria

Visitors per year

approx. 86,112

Admission & discounts

Free admission to the museum shop and the restaurant. The museum is cashless: payment only by card or other digital means. Tickets can be bought in advance via Tickster.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

Lift to all floors with speech function and tactile lettering, space for a wheelchair and a pram. Accessible toilet on the ground floor. Artillerigården is cobbled, but the route up to the entrance has smoother sawn paving stones; doors are propped open or open automatically. The lecture hall has an induction loop. Two disabled parking spaces near the entrance. Some parts of the exhibitions may feel dark. Adapted tours with tactile and musical elements, or with sign-language interpretation, can be booked via bokning@armemuseum.se. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The exhibitions are about war, and some parts can feel disturbing; ask staff if in doubt. During school holidays dramatised family tours are often held. There is plenty of room for prams, a changing table on the ground floor and a breastfeeding area in the canteen on floor 2.

Getting there & parking

The museum is centrally located on Östermalm, a stone's throw from Östermalmstorg.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurang Artilleriet beneath the stone vaults, with lunch, fika and an à la carte menu in the evening, and outdoor seating in summer. You may eat a packed lunch in the canteen on floor 2, which has a microwave. Free lockable lockers at the entrance; larger bags, rucksacks and wheeled bags may not be taken into the exhibitions.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Meeting rooms on floor 4 (the lecture hall, a conference room and the Vindsrummet) are offered mainly on weekdays 08:30–16:30, with their own entrance at Artillerigatan 13. Food and drink via Restaurang Artilleriet. Enquiries to konferens@armemuseum.se.

Plan your visit