Holmöns båtmuseum

About the museum

Holmöns båtmuseum (Holmön Boat Museum) opened in 1998 and has been run by volunteers since its start. The museum was designed by the architect Olle Forsgren and is housed in eight wooden buildings grouped around a sheltered courtyard, by the harbour in Byviken where the ferry docks. The Stiftelsen Holmöns båtmuseum och besökscentrum (Holmön Boat Museum and Visitor Centre foundation) was formed when the museum was established, to manage the collection of old local boats and keep it open to the public.

The collections show a variety of boats for different purposes, and the old way of building them from naturally curved timber (krokvuxna ämnen). The fälbåt (fell boat), a boat type characteristic of the Kvarken region that was used for seal hunting among the drift ice, is especially highlighted. The exhibition also portrays the toil of the fishing boats, seal hunting and the hard life of families who lived on a small-scale farm. There has been a permanent population on Holmön for at least 600 years.

When the Nordic clinker-boat tradition was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2021, the museum's theme received even greater attention. In summer, art exhibitions, lectures and courses related to coastal culture are arranged. Among the buildings is Båken, a large exhibition building with a design language based on navigation marks along the Bothnian Bay coast.

Highlights

• Clinker-built boats, fell boats and skötbåtar
• Båken, with winter fishing and an ancient square sail
• Basic exhibition on life on Holmön for 600 years
• Boatbuilder's workshop and a room to rent
• Free ferry to Holmön

Permanent exhibition

• Basutställning – Life on Holmön in bygone times: the island's 600-year history, boatbuilding, fishing through the seasons and winter fishing in Båken.

Operated by

Stiftelsen Holmöns båtmuseum och besökscentrum

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

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

The museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility; to the right of the main entrance there is a door adapted for wheelchairs.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located by the harbour in Byviken, a stone's throw from the ferry landing.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with, among other things, the museum's series of publications on the local cultural history. Bicycles can be rented at the boat museum, and Holmöns lanthandel (Holmön village shop) is a stone's throw away.

Events & venue rental

Accommodation can be rented in the Boatbuilder's room next to the workshop, with a pantry and a fridge.

Plan your visit