Naval museum in Karlskrona - naval history, submarines, ships

Marinmuseum in Karlskrona is a museum that tells the story of the Swedish Navy from 1522 to the present day. The museum is beautifully located on the island of Stumholmen and offers a modern and exciting museum experience.

Maritime Museum in Karlskrona

The current museum was opened in 1997 by King Carl XVI Gustaf. Before that, the museum was located in the old shipyard barracks at Örlogshamnen, and earlier in history it was called Varvsmuseet. Today it is a modern and interactive museum with attractive exhibitions.

The Marine Museum in Karlskrona is located on the island of Stumholmen in Karlskrona. If you start from the tourist office at Stortorget, follow Kyrkogatan down the hill. Then you pass Drottninggatan and cross the Stumholmsbron bridge.

Visiting the Marine Museum in Karlskrona

The Marine Museum in Karlskrona is located in a modern and stylish building by the sea. Adjacent to the museum are some museum ships and a building with smaller boats. When we visited the museum, some of the experiences were unfortunately, for understandable reasons, closed due to the pandemic. Despite this, we had a nice and interesting museum experience.

Submarines in the submarine hall

In the submarine hall you can learn about 110 years of submarine history. Here you can see both the high-tech submarine HMS Neptune and the Swedish Navy's very first submarine - Hajen from 1904. Very interesting! Normally you can also go on board HMS Neptune.

Now, during pandemic times, it was not possible to go on board. We understand very well that it is inappropriate to be crowded in a submarine during pandemic times, but we were keen to come back to see the inside of the submarine!

The wind tunnel at the Marine Museum in Karlskrona, Sweden

During non-pandemic times, you can also go down the 'wreck tunnel'. This underwater tunnel runs from the first floor of the museum down to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. From the tunnel's window you can see a real shipwreck. Unfortunately this tunnel was closed at the time, but it seems really exciting to go down here at another time!

Life on board

What might life on board have been like in the past? One of the museum's exhibitions tells us that seafarers' diets used to be heavy, monotonous and lacking in vitamins. For example, how about the following 'dining arrangement' for eight men on a naval ship in 1882:

• Breakfast: 240 grams of butter and 33 cl of brandy
• Dinner: 5.2 litres of sauerkraut, 33 cl of oatmeal and 1.7 kg of pork.
• Afton: 3 kilos of barley meal, 260 grams of butter and 33 cl of brandy

Surface tension - Cold War

There is also an exhibition on the grand political game during the Cold War. Exciting and interesting!

The sloop and bark shed

Right next to the museum is the Sloop and Barque Shed, a special 18th century building where you can check out the navy's sloops, barques and other small boats.

Here you can check out the royal sloop, which was built in 1844 for royal visits to Karlskrona. The passengers included the German Emperor William II (1859-1941). The sloop was also used at Carl XIV's Eriksgata in Blekinge in 1988.

The ships outside the Marine Museum in Karlskrona

The quayside outside the Naval Museum in Karlskrona is home to a number of museum ships that can be admired and, at certain times, boarded. There is the full-rigger Jarramas, the minesweeper Bremön, the robot boat Västervik and, during the summer, the motor torpedo boat T38.

Stepping aboard the full-rigged Jarramas, we were reminded of what it's like to sail a large ship with many sails, which we experienced. on board the sailing ship Gratia. It was a fun and interesting experience, but also challenging. Wow, what a lot of pads there were to keep track of!

In summary, we can say that it was very nice and interesting to visit the Marine Museum in Karlskrona - a nice, modern and exciting museum. Of course, it gets even better when the pandemic allows boarding a submarine and visiting the wreck tunnel.

Where can you stay with your campervan?

There is a good site at Karlskrona Stadsmarina, and from here it is walking distance to the museum. The site has most of the services you need in the form of electricity (limited number of places), service house, water filling and latrine emptying.

See more in the neighbourhood

The naval city of Karlskrona was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998, and there is much to see around the city. Karlskrona. You can also experience all the beautiful islands in the Blekinge archipelago, such as Aspö. It is also nice to visit charming and historic Kristianopel or beautiful Ronneby Brunnspark.

Have you visited the Marine Museum in Karlskrona?

How was your experience? What are your best tips for the area?

facts about Marinmuseum in karlskrona

• Municipality: Karlskrona
• County: Blekinge County
• Landscape: Blekinge
• Established: 28 June 1997 (The museum dates back to 1752 when the Model Chamber in Karlskrona was founded by King Adolf Fredrik).  
• Sister museums: The Naval Museum in Karlskrona is part of the National Maritime and Transport History Museums Authority together with Vasa Museum and Maritime History Museum in Stockholm and the Railway Museum in Gävle.
• Read more: You can find more information at the museum's website.

Services and practical information

• Opening hours: The museum's opening hours vary. See the museum's website for current information.
• Prices: Visiting the museum is free of charge.
• Shop: The museum shop offers home furnishings, accessories, toys and nautical, military history and fictional literature. 
• Food service: The Skeppsgossen restaurant serves lunch and coffee.

Accessibility

• Indoor environment: The museum has large open spaces and lifts between floors. Two wheelchairs with a maximum width of 60 cm are available for loan (cannot be pre-booked). The restaurant on the ground floor is fully accessible to people with disabilities. There is a hearing loop in the museum's auditorium.
• Limitations: The submarine Neptune has limited accessibility, with a maximum width of 60 cm. The vessels Bremön, Västervik and Jarramas have limited accessibility in several places and it is not possible to board with prams, wheelchairs or other aids. The towing and barking shed has a sloping floor.
• Toilets: Accessible toilets are available on the ground floor.
• Guide dog: Guide dogs are allowed, but no other dogs.
• Parking: Parking spaces for people with disabled parking permits are available outside the museum.