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.

In 1956 a marine archeologist's persistent search led to the discovery of the Vasa. The salvage operation was complex, and the conservation of the vessel took 17 years. The museum opened in 1990 and is claimed to be not only the most popular museum in Stockholm but in all of Scandinavia.