Skansen, the first open air Museum in the World

     Skansen is a wonderful museum in Stockholm  located on the island Djurgården that tries to restore rural and animal life in Sweden. 

    Scandinavian homes are authentic, as well as a post office, a church and a bakery where bread is still

prepared in a traditional way and visitors can even taste it for free. Women in folk costumes greet you with a smile and answer kindly to any kind of questions. Everywhere are flowers and plants showing the diligence of the Swedes. In the zoo, one can admire bears, wolves, seals, reindeers, mooses and owls, great scandinavian animals. At Lill-Skansen, children are allowed to play and touch small animals. The aquarium opened in 1978, which includes crocodiles, is also interesting. Skansen is the major tourist attraction of the Swedish capital, which is visited by about 1.35 million tourists of all ages each year. Overall, in high season, from May to September, about 600 employees are working here. Skansen was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius. His motto is "Know yourself" and Hazelius chose it because he was convinced that only if you know your own history, you really know yourself. The name Skansen probably derives from the Swedish word "skans" (military redoubt), that Prince Karl-Johan raised for Prince Oscar in 1810. When Hazelius bought the land, the region was already called Skansen. There have been moved about 150 old buildings, houses from fifteenth century until 1930. The oldest is a fourteenth-century Norwegian home, moved in 1901. Hazelius lived in the Yellow House (Gula Huset) in Skansen between 1892 and 1901 and was even buried here. To enter the park one can take a cable railway that goes up and offers a memorable visit. Skansen has a great influence on open-air museums in Europe and USA. The Village Museum in Bucharest was inspired by Swedish museum, being founded by Professor Dimitrie Gusti, Victor Ion Popa, H. Stahl and G.Focşa with the blessing of King Charles II.