Mentalvårdsmuseet

About the museum

Säter hospital opened in 1912 as the first mental hospital in Dalarna, following a government decision of 1903. The collections of Mentalvårdsmuseet were initially built up by hospital staff who already in the 1950s understood that changes in institutional life were on the way. The objects collected consist partly of work done by patients and partly of medical equipment.

The museum opened in May 1987 in the care pavilion of ward 21A, one of the hospital’s original buildings, after a restoration that began in 1983. Since the early 1990s the culture committee of what is today Region Dalarna has been responsible for the museum, which no longer has any organisational link to the hospital.

The museum tells of the living conditions of patients and staff at Säter hospital from 1912 to the 1980s and 1990s and of how society was being built in Sweden during the same period. The permanent exhibition is called Långbad och snittblommor (Long Baths and Cut Flowers) and highlights the many-layered history of the hospital and of psychiatry. Outdoors there is a walk across the Skönvik area, and the museum’s art collection contains works by patients from the 1910s to the present day.

Highlights

• The permanent exhibition Långbad och snittblommor
• Museum in a care pavilion from 1912
• Outdoor walk in the Skönvik area with QR signs
• Art collection with patients’ drawings and objects
• Guided tours on Säter hospital and the development of psychiatry

Permanent exhibitions

• Långbad och snittblommor – en komplex historia – The museum’s permanent exhibition on Säter hospital and the many-layered history of psychiatry, which invites visitors to reflect on attitudes to mental health.
• Utomhusutställning – vandring på Skönviksområdet – Outdoor exhibition with artworks on the verandas and in the sun pavilion, plus about ten signs with QR codes about the old hospital grounds; the walk takes about an hour.
• Konstsamlingen – Works and objects that patients created at the hospital from the 1910s to the present, including drawings and candlesticks made from metal scrap.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Region Dalarna, Kultur och bildning

Admission & discounts

Museum admission SEK 50 per person.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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 lift and toilet are adapted for people with disabilities. An induction loop is available in the room. The aim is for all exhibition texts to be in easy-read Swedish.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 15+

The museum is not suitable for children under 15.

Getting there & parking

By car: take national road 70 towards Säter, turn off towards Smedjebacken and the hospital, and follow the signs to Skönvik and Mentalvårdsmuseet, turning left towards lake Ljustern. In the Skönvik area the museum is signposted.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

The museum has no café of its own. You may eat your own food in the museum or in the rest pavilion next to it. Two restaurants are in the Skönvik area (Skönviksrestaurangen and Golfrestaurangen) and one in central Säter.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit