Roslagens Sjöfartsmuseum

About the museum

Roslagens Sjöfartsminnesförening (Roslagen Maritime Heritage Association) was formed on 15 March 1938 to preserve the memory of the seafaring of the rospiggar (Roslagen sailors). The association leased the former curate’s farm at Kaplansbacken in Älmsta, but the main building was destroyed by fire in 1942. After the fire the diocese donated the buildings that remained, and that laid the foundation of the museum.

Through a donation the association was later able to acquire a judge’s farm from the 1850s in Malmberga, Häverö, which today is called Skeppargården (the Skipper’s Farm). On the lower floor the furnishings of a prosperous skipper’s home from the 1870s to the 1890s are shown. New museum buildings have been added in stages, and a new exhibition hall, Båthuset (the Boathouse), was built at the beginning of the 2000s.

The museum describes itself as Sweden’s largest private maritime museum. The exhibition area is about 550 square metres and shows Roslagen’s seafaring traditions, from the Viking Age and sea-post delivery to archipelago fishing, sailing, steam power, pilotage, lighthouses and sea rescue. Outdoors there are, among other things, the mast of the sloop Elvira, two lighthouses and a play area. The museum is run by the association, which also organises the Postrodden across the Åland Sea (Postrodden över Ålands hav).

Highlights

• Bottle ship collection by Göran Forss
• Steam boiler and steam engine from a Djurgården ferry from 1903
• Postal rowing boats and old engines in the Boathouse
• Skipper’s Farm with the interior of a skipper’s home
• Reconstructed crew’s quarters from the Roslagen barque Anna & Meta

Permanent exhibitions

• Roslagens sjöfart – Ship models, ship portraits, navigation instruments, a steam engine and the service industries of seafaring, such as pilotage, lighthouses and sea rescue, are shown in several rooms.
• Flaskskeppsutställningen – A collection of models in bottles built by the master builder Göran Forss.
• Skeppargården – A judge’s farm from the 1850s with furnished rooms showing a skipper’s home from the 1870s to the 1890s.

Founded

1938

Operated by

Roslagens Sjöfartsminnesförening

Admission & discounts

Members of the association have free admission every day.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Playground / play area

Children pay reduced admission, and there is a play area at the museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum is by the Väddö canal in the southern part of Älmsta, about three mil north of Norrtälje. By car via riksväg 76 and väg 283 towards Grisslehamn. At the museum there is a guest jetty for visiting boats.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Sales of coffee, soft drinks, fika buns, ice cream and souvenirs when the office is staffed. Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit