This museum is actually an intact royal warship, the Vasa, which capsized in Stockholm harbor on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged in the 1950s, with other exhibits about life on the ship and the salvage and restoration processes. The ship was preserved for more than 300 years on the seabed, close to the site of the museum, by the brackish water of the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren. It was one of my favorite attractions in Stockholm.

More than 200 carved ornaments and 500 sculptures decorate the Vasa. This fairly large model portrays what the Vasa is believed to have looked like on its maiden voyage, when it sank. This what the stern of the Vasa looks like today: http://www.pbase.com/helenpb/image/145937087