Step into the 19th Century.

A Visit to Vänersborg’s Museum, the Oldest Preserved Museum Environment in Sweden, makes this Experience Possible
 

In 1885, Johan Adolf Andersohn (1820-1887), a successful merchant as well as a great donor and benefactor to the city of Vänersborg, took the initiative to build and establish Vänersborg’s museum. A few years later, in 1891, the museum opened to the public.  

Instead of displaying local objects from the surrounding area, Adolf Andersohn intended to present the exotic and amazing world outside of the small town in the west of Sweden, to the visitors. Thus, the museum was filled with extraordinary, remarkable and exotic collections from all over the world including African birds and mammals, ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and burial goods, Chinese porcelain, European art, Nordic animals and much more. One can only imagine what an extraordinary sight this must have been to the 19th century museum visitor during a time when the majority of people rarely travelled outside their country borders.    

Today, it is possible to experience and walk through the preserved halls of the museum and take part of the amazing collections and stories surrounding the objects - stories that involve adventurous expeditions and a passion for collecting.  

Hidden objects and collections from the storage facilities at Kulturlagret as well as new acquisitions are displayed annually at the museum’s temporary exhibitions.