Museum of East Asia


On the territory of the Swedish capital there are a lot of interesting and informative museums , each of which is devoted to a certain theme. Fans of Chinese, Japanese or Korean culture should definitely visit the Museum of East Asia, the collection of which has about 100 thousand unique exhibits.

History of the Museum of East Asia

The building, which now houses the collection, was built around 1699-1704 and was originally located in the Swedish navy department. The reconstruction of the southern wing of the mansion was carried out by the royal architect Nicodemus Tessin. In the middle of the XIX century, floors were replaced here, and in 1917 the building acquired its modern look.

The founder of the Museum of East Asia is the Swedish archaeologist Johan Andersson, who spent a lot of time on expeditions in China, Korea, Japan and India. Exhibits brought to them from their travels, and serve as the basis for the collection. The official opening of the Museum of East Asia took place in 1963, and since 1999 it has become one of the national museums of world culture.

Activities of the Museum of East Asia

Currently, this collection has 100 thousand exhibits, a significant part of which is dedicated to the archeology and art of China. Thanks to generous individual donations, the management of the East Asian Museum managed to complete the collection with exhibits from Korea, India, Japan and countries of South-East Asia. There is an extensive library, which includes:

The museum of East Asia has ancient artifacts, which he donated to King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden. He was also an ardent admirer of archeology and history.

In the early 1940s, a large grotto was built in the East Asia Museum for Swedish naval officers and naval officers, who could serve as a bomb shelter during the war. Its area was 4800 sq.m. Now this grotto is used for special temporary exhibitions. For example, in 2010-2011 a part of the Terracotta Army was exhibited here and it was possible to see 315 objects collected from five imperial burials, 11 world museums and a dozen different excavations in Shaanxi Province.

In addition to the organization of exhibitions, the staff of the Museum of East Asia conducts scientific research, is engaged in educational activities and the publication of scientific publications. There is a gift shop and museum restaurant "Kikusen" on the territory. In the immediate vicinity of the Museum of East Asia is the Church of Sheppsholmmen (Skeppsholmskyrkan) and the Museum of Modern Art, which contains a collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs.

How to get to the Museum of East Asia?

To get acquainted with a large collection of ancient artifacts, you need to go to the south-eastern part of Stockholm. The Museum of East Asia is located on the island of Sheppsholmen about 1 km from the center of the capital. If you walk on the street Sodra Blasieholmshamnen, then at the destination you can be maximum after 15 minutes. In 100 m from it there is a bus stop Stockholm Östasiatiska museet, to which it is possible to go on a route №65.

The fastest way to get to the East Asian Museum is by taxi. Following from the center of the capital on the road Sodra Blasieholmshamnen, in the right place you can be in 5 minutes.