Vänersborg Museum

Take a trip back in time in Sweden's oldest preserved museum

Step back into the museum world of the 19th century

Vänersborg Museum, built in 1885, is the oldest purpose-built museum in the country. As you enter, you step back into the 19th century, where the most exotic collections, brought back by intrepid explorers from all over the globe, await you in all their magnificence in the display rooms.

Embrace the exotic

Adolf Andersohn, the founder of the museum, had the idea of showing visitors exactly how magnificent the world is, and with an emphasis on conveying emotions and experiences rather than just facts. The inhabitants of the town marvelled at Egyptian antiquities, animals from Africa, porcelain brought back from the Far East on East India Company sailing vessels, and a variety of Russian handicrafts, all displayed alongside extensive ethnographic, numismatic and archaeological collections.

The Vänersborg Museum of today

There are still African birds and lions, Egyptian sarcophaguses, works of art, seed samples, and a great deal besides. During your visit to Vänersborg Museum you'll experience at first hand the wildlife researchers' travels through the deserts of southern Africa, and the voyages made by the East Indiaman sailing ships across stormy seas. There’s a wide range of programmes, with both permanent and temporary exhibitions.