Native Animals and Birds of Sweden
Sweden’s Skansen Open-Air Museum, founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius, is home to an abundance of native animals and birds of Sweden. The Skansen Museum is located within the city of Stockholm on the island of Djurgarden. I visited this gorgeous park with my husband in early spring, 2014, when the daffodil, scilla, and crocus were enjoying their moments in the sun. We had a wonderful experience walking in this beautifully planned and meticulously maintained historical park. Because we visited early in the season, we weren’t able to see and enjoy the cultivated beds and gardens of the Skansen Museum. I would like to have seen the herb and vegetable gardens, and particularly the rose gardens, which are described as being simply outstanding.
We certainly did enjoy the quiet setting and muted colours of spring on the day of our visit. The greys and browns and moss green tones serve well as backdrop for the historical homes and farm structures. It was a cool, partly cloudy afternoon, with a light snowfall and a little rain, which you can see in some of the photographs. Somehow it added to the “authenticity” of the scenes, as we looked at buildings depicting life and culture as early as the eleventh century and through to more current periods.
I was deeply impressed by the dedication of the groundskeepers, and the cooperation they receive from visitors to Skansen. There was not a shred of garbage on the ground, anywhere. There were no gum wrappers, litter, or tell-tale signs of the 21-first century in sight. We did see a few staff members, and staff in period costumes, pushing wheelbarrows, setting hay into the animal enclosures, and welcoming park guests.
The Skansen Museum Zoo is committed to housing Swedish native animals and birds. The zoo is home to reindeer, wild boar, an interesting type of horse, “elk” – which we North Americans refer to as moose, brown bear, European bison, wolves, and Swedish farm animals – goats, sheep, and pigs – along with a number of smaller creatures that make themselves at home on the grounds.
Of the birds in the park, I particularly loved to see the different types of geese that I’ve not seen in North America. We were delighted to recognize mallards, terns, gulls of course, and possibly an egret, perched on top of what looked like a Viking community hall. I couldn’t tell if the black and grey birds we saw were little crows or “jays”, and they are quite different from our Canadian grey jays and blue jays, but their “character” seemed to be about the same. They strutted around the grounds like they owned every inch of it. I liked the look of the small yellow, grey, and black bird sitting on the back of a wooden park bench.
I remarked to friends on returning home that the landscape of Sweden en route from Malmo to Stockholm looked like that of eastern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario – lake upon gorgeous lake, forests of pine and spruce, and rocky terrain … but then we would spot an ancient building or a centuries-old farmhouse tucked among the trees, reminding us that we were in Europe and not back at home in our Canadian woodlands.
The images from Skansen will linger in my mind. I felt like I had stepped back in time – way, way back – for one magical afternoon, thanks to the vision of the founder and the commitment of those who inherited and preserved this gorgeous legacy museum.
You might enjoy a visit to the Skansen museum website.
Photos and text: NK
Copyright: NK/cookiebuxton.com
Location and date: Stockholm, Sweden / April 2014
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