Secrets of the Vasa Ship – Secrets of the Vasa Ship

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Explore the Vasa ship history on location

Agnes was on board the Vasa ship when it sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. She was only four years old at the time, but can still recall the terror of falling into the water with her uncle – one of the blacksmiths who helped build the ship. Agnes’ uncle managed to save her from drowning, but ten years later, she still can’t shake the feeling that something else was lost in the water as well that day.
There seem to be answers hidden away in a locked box her mother keeps in the attic, so Agnes decides to steal the box and heads out on the streets of Stockholm in an attempt to trace down the secrets of the Vasa ship.

Walk from Old town to the Skeppsholmen island

Walk from Old town to Skeppsholmen with Agnes and take part of the story on location along the way. You can control conversations between characters, puzzle a torn-up letter back together and help Agnes find a key to the mysterious box.
Agnes tells you what she can remember of the shipwreck as you walk. You’ll also meet other people along the way, who share their memories from that fateful day. Maybe someone knows something about why Agnes’ uncle left Sweden shortly after the accident?

The StoryTourist app will show you the way

To walk this tour, you’ll download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. The app is equipped with a map, GPS, a narrator and digital guide which makes sure you walk in the right direction. Once you have purchased the tour it is yours to keep. You can use it at any time and as many times as you wish.
Through the StoryTourist-app, you’ll hear the story of the Vasa ship. The only thing you need to be able to explore Stockholm in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones. The Vasa ship museum is a short ferry ride away from the final location of this walking tour.

This StoryTour is written by Lia Malm.

Read this in — Svenska

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point at Funckens gränd in Stockholm, Sweden, to start this walking tour.
Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
This tour is available in English and Swedish.
Once you have purchased the tour, it is your to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
This tour is pet friendly – feel free to bring your dog on this walk!
Public transport is available close to both the tour start point and end point.
This tour is not accessible to wheelchair users due to stairs.
We recommend participants to be at least 9 years old or over, due to the dark theme of the tour.

What to bring:

Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded.
Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

Funcken's alley

You are standing in Old town, the island where Stockholm was founded in the 1200's. Funcken's alley is named after merchant Thomas Funck, who built two houses here in the 1600's.

Järntorget

This square has been called "Iron square" since the late 1400's. It was a depot location for iron for almost 200 years. There was also a weigh house here, where the metal was weighed.

The Saint Gertrud church

There has been a German church building in this location since medieval times, this specific church dates back to 1642. There is a glass painting of St:Gertrud in the church vestibule.

Stortorget

Stortorget is Stockholm's oldest square, dating back to early medieval time. For several hundred years, this is where all commerce took place. The Copper-Matt statue was here 1603–1776.

Ferken's alley

There were two taverns in the Ferken alley in the 1600's: the street kitchen Farken, which offered cheap, simple food, and a wine tavern called Halvmånen (crescent moon).

Skeppsbrokajen

Skeppsbrokajen is Stockholm's oldest wharf. Large vessels docked here in the early 1600's, but the wharf was called Kogg bridge back then and was located 100 meters from today’s shoreline.

The Royal Palace

The Vasa ship was docked below the Royal Palace for a couple of weeks before her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Cannons and other materials were hoisted onto the ship here.

The Makalös Palace

This is where the luxurious Makalös (Remarkable) palace once was located. It was built as a home for Jakob Pontusson De la Gardie and his family in the 1630's. It burned down in 1825.

The time portal

The Wings is a sculpture by Carl Milles, based on a theme from Greek mythology. Ganymedes was kidnapped by Zeus and turned into an eagle.

Skeppsholmen lookout point

This island was called Lustholmen in the 1500's, but when the naval staff and shipyard moved out here from Blasieholmen in the 1630's, its name changed to Skeppsholmen (ship's island).

Skeppsholmen ferry dock

There are several museums here at Skeppsholmen, but you can also hop on the ferry from the dock below this hill, if you want to visit the Vasa Museum across the bay.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

Old Town
St: Gertrud's Church
The Royal Palace and the location where the Vasa ship was anchored before the maiden voyage
Kungsträdgården Park
Skeppsholmen island, with a lookout point over the Vasa ship route, and the ferry location to the Vasa ship museum