The museum houses about 900,000 photos, 50,000 objects and 45,000 drawings, all related to the sea, coast, ships and boats, past and present.[3] A major part of the collection, the boats, are currently exhibited in a facility on Rindö, an island outside Vaxholm in the Stockholm archipelago. The boat collection ranges from canoes to Skerry cruisers.[4]
On the bottom floor there are, among other things, exhibits on naval history including several detailed models of 18th century ships. The second floor includes exhibits on Swedish commercial fleets.[1] In the basement is a replica of a cabin in King Gustav III's ship Amphion, along with the original stern from the ship.[5]
The Maritime Museum is responsible for the listing of historical ships in Sweden. Both ships and pleasure boats of historical significance can be listed. While the listing offers no legal protection or obligations, it gives the owner of the craft certain privileges.
Architecture
The gently curved building, inspired by the neoclassicist design of Olof Tempelman (1746–1816), acts as a background for the surrounding park where open-air concerts are held each year. It was the last major commission of Ragnar Östberg and was built on the location for the Stockholm Exhibition (1930) (Stockholmsutställningen 1930). As the exhibition was an important Functionalism manifestation, the museum also mark the point of view of the architect in the debate the introduction of Functionalist style caused in Sweden.[2] The central cupola is entirely built of brick.[6] The building also houses a model workshop, wood shop, photo studio, archives and a library. In the 1970s, a film and lecture hall was added and in the 1990s a café.[5]
Outside of the museum is a bronze statue called The Sailor (Sjömannen), a memorial to the Swedish sailors who died during World War II. The statue was made by artist Nils Sjögren in 1952, just before he died. The statue was inaugurated in 1953.[7]
