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Djurgården

The most popular part of the ecopark is Djurgården.;
Situated a mere stones-throw away from Stockholm's continental style inner-city lies Djurgården's splendid parklands. It's a magnet for Stockholmers who are drawn to the island to walk and drink in the air, enjoy a picnic or visit one of its many attractions.

Here you will find Skansen - the world's oldest open-air museum - which gives visitors a taste of Sweden in miniature. Skansen is also the home of Stockholm's one and only zoo. The Gröna Lund amusement park - which also has a long history - is a popular destination in summer for children and adults alike.

Djurgården is also the home of many of Stockholm's museums. There is the Vasa Museum - where the Royal Ship Vasa, which dates back to the 1600's, is on display; the Nordic Museum - which was originally intended to be a complex of four buildings, all of a similar size to today's museum (!); the Liljevalch Art Gallery - with its world renowned exhibitions of art and sculptures and the beautiful splendour of Waldemarsudde where the Swedish Prince Eugen (1865-1947), who was an accomplished artist, lived and worked.

The word Djurgården means the Animal Garden - a name it was given by Johan III. He created a park here in 1580 stocked with reindeer, elks and fallow-deer. Later, in the 1600's, the area was cordoned off and turned into a royal hunting ground by Karl XI. Read more about Royal Stockholm, palaces and Djurgården as a part of the National Trust City resource on the following pages.