Vasa Museum

The Vasa Museum houses the world's best-preserved 17th-century ship, a massive warship commissioned by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Construction began in 1626, involving hundreds of craftsmen who adorned the vessel with hundreds of ornate sculptures intended to display Sweden's power. However, the ship was dangerously unstable due to its high center of gravity and insufficient ballast, a fatal design flaw resulting from the King's demand for an extra deck of heavy cannons. On August 10, 1628, the Vasa set sail on its maiden voyage from Stockholm harbor. Within minutes and only about 1,300 meters into its journey, a strong gust of wind caused the ship to heel over. Water poured in through the open lower gun ports, and the pride of the Swedish navy sank to the seabed in full view of a horrified crowd, claiming the lives of roughly 30 people onboard. The ship lay forgotten in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea for over three centuries until it was rediscovered in 1956 by amateur archaeologist Anders Franzén. In a monumental engineering feat, the hull was raised intact in 1961. After decades of meticulous conservation to replace water in the wood with polyethylene glycol, the ship found its permanent home in the current museum, which opened in 1990 and remains Scandinavia's most visited museum.