Sweden and Ukraine shares more than 1000 years of history. From the Viking Age marriage of Ingegerd and Yaroslav to today’s fight against Russian aggression, the historical paths of Sweden and Ukraine have intersected multiple times throughout history. The Army Museum in Stockholm examines the shared history in the exhibition Crossroads on display until February 2025.
I brought my oldest for a day trip to Stockholm and a tour of the museum one day in July. I left my youngest at home due to the heavy subject matter.
Did you know that Ukraine’s first constitution is in Stockholm? Dating back to the alliance between Swedish King Charles XII and Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa in 1708, the story of how the constitution made the journey to Stockholm is just one of the intriguing stories told in the exhibition.
The free Cossacks “below the rapids” get their own section as does Gammelsvenskby, a village at the river Dnepr founded by Swedish immigrants in 1781. Sweden’s history of travel, trade, famine, plague, and war is almost as convoluted as Ukraine’s.
The exhibition does a great job of capturing key moments illustrated by carefully curated objects and displays, helping us see a red thread through history.
Permanent exhibitions at the museum confront us with the history of war from spears and swords to modern day firearms.
Denmark and Sweden waged seven wars over 150 years.
Swedish kings frequently died violently and often on the battlefield.
Propaganda and religion as means to coerce a population to suffer a prolonged war is nothing new.
A visit will give you food for thought so leave some time for reflection afterwards.
From The Great Wall of China to Trump's Border Wall, empires have always built walls to temporarily stop the world from changing.
The Army Museum is open daily 10-17. Free admission up to age 19. Adults 140 SEK.