Gotska Sandöns Museum
Museum in the old school in Fyrbyn on Gotska Sandön about the island's nature, culture and shipping, together with the exhibition Fyrliv in the Norra fyren (North Lighthouse).
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Gotska Sandöns Hembygdsförening (Gotska Sandön Local Heritage Association) was formed in 1975 and began collecting older photographs for a local heritage museum at an early stage. In autumn 1980 the empty school building in Fyrbyn was made ready, and in summer 1981 a simple local heritage museum opened, with the furnishings of the schoolroom and a photo exhibition. In the 1980s the museum was expanded together with Naturvårdsverket (the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), which wanted a naturum on the island combining equal parts culture and nature.
In 2019 the association decided to modernise the exhibitions. Gotlands Museum, commissioned by the association, produced an entirely new exhibition combining nature and culture, and Gotska Sandöns Museum was reopened in July 2025. In the old schoolroom there are school benches, atlases and globes, and the exhibition shows archaeological finds, objects from shipwrecks and stories about the wreck plunderer Gottberg and Madam Söderlund.
In the Norra fyren (North Lighthouse), which was inaugurated in 1859 and is still in operation, the association has since 2016 shown the exhibition Fyrliv (Lighthouse Life) about work and life on the island, with photographs, a newsreel and objects from the lighthouse. The lighthouse was reinaugurated in June 2026 after a restoration.
Highlights
- The old schoolroom with school benches, atlases and globes
- Archaeological finds and objects from shipwrecks, including a figurehead
- Stories about the wreck plunderer Gottberg and Madam Söderlund
- The exhibition Fyrliv in the Norra fyren, which dates from 1859
- Listening station with stories from Sandön
Permanent exhibitions
- Gotska Sandöns Museum i gamla skolan – New basic exhibition combining nature and culture: the schoolroom, archaeological finds, shipwreck objects and stories about the people and animal life of Sandön.
- Fyrliv – Working-life exhibition in the Norra fyren with the lightkeepers' objects, sea rescue, a listening station and the newsreel Svensk utpost from 1948.
- Founded
- 1981
- Operated by
- Gotska Sandöns Hembygdsförening
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
During the summer, tour boats run from Nynäshamn and Fårösund to Gotska Sandön on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays (2027: 28 May–29 August). The trip takes about 3 hours 30 minutes from Nynäshamn and 2 hours 15 minutes from Fårösund.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
Tickets for the tour boat must be bought in advance through the booking service (boka@visitgotskasandon.se, telephone 0498-24 05 00). It is also possible to travel by your own boat, but there is no harbour.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Audio guide | yes (SV) |
|---|---|
| Good to know | By the Norra fyren there is a listening station with nine stories from and about Gotska Sandön, and the museum has several stories to listen to. Fyrbyn lies in the north-western part of the island. |
