Stadsmuseet Näktergalen
Municipal town museum in a log house declared a listed building, from the 1740s, with preserved baroque paintings and the local history of Vimmerby.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Stadsmuseet Näktergalen (Näktergalen Town Museum) is a cultural history museum in Vimmerby. It is in a log-built single-storey house from around 1740, between the church and Stora Torget (the Great Square). All rooms received extensive decorative painting early on, and most of the original wall and ceiling paintings remain. The house was owned by well-off burghers, among them councillors (rådmän), a town prosecutor (stadsfiskal) and a land surveyor. In the mid-19th century it was built on with an upper floor and clad with vertical panelling, and for most of the 20th century there was a shop in the house.
In 1990 the whole block was sold and a demolition permit was granted. When staff from the culture administration examined the walls, the hidden paintings were discovered. The Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish National Heritage Board), the County Administrative Board and Kalmar läns museum (Kalmar County Museum) became involved, and with popular support and a donation from Astrid Lindgren the municipality was able to buy the block. The house was renovated, and inside the 18th-century floor plan was recreated.
The museum opened on 29 June 1996 under the name Museet Näktergalen and received its present name in 2012. It works with Vimmerby's local cultural heritage and buys older objects and works of art of high quality with local roots. Besides temporary exhibitions, small permanent exhibitions show the history of the house, the history of the town, the decorative painting and finds from the Viking-age burial ground Gästgivarehagen.
Highlights
- Preserved baroque paintings on ceilings and walls
- The history of the house, from threatened demolition to cultural treasure
- Finds from the Viking-age burial ground Gästgivarehagen
- Silver coin minted in England in the 11th century
- Exhibition on Vimmerby's development from farming village to small town
Permanent exhibitions
- Husets historia – The story of how an unremarkable house with a demolition permit turned out to be a unique cultural treasure.
- Stadens historia – Vimmerby's development from a small farming village through ox trading, markets and fires to a modern small town.
- Gästgivarehagen – Finds from excavations of the Viking-age burial ground in Vimmerby.
- Founded
- 1996
- Operated by
- Vimmerby kommun
- Director
- Gunilla Gustafsson
Admission & discounts
| Adults | SEK 60 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | –Viewing for school classes from Vimmerby Municipality, up to and including upper secondary school, is free of charge. |
| Groups | –Viewing for groups (at most 35 people, 30–45 minutes) costs SEK 400, and admission of SEK 60 per person is added. |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group viewings take 30–45 minutes. Groups and schools can order special viewings, also outside regular opening hours, through the museum manager, tel. +46 10 356 90 82. Special school programmes can be arranged when the exhibitions change. |
