Press release -
Nationalmuseum – one year and one million visits later
Since reopening last year, Nationalmuseum has become a success with visitors. In just one year, the museum has had more than one million visits, which is around three times more than before the renovation took place. The anniversary of the reopening will be celebrated with an anniversary programme with lectures, discussions and movie screenings between 12–13 October.
On 13 October, it has been one year since Nationalmuseum reopened its doors following five years of renovations and reconstruction. The reopened museum has been a success in terms of the number of visitors. In the past year, the museum has had one million visits, which is around three times more than before the renovation took place. After the initial surge, the museum now sees a steady flow of around 15–20,000 visits per week.
“With one million visits in a single year, Nationalmuseum has become one of the most visited museums in Stockholm, behind the Vasa Museum and Skansen. We are very pleased that so many visitors, both new and old, have found their way to us. This shows that culture plays a major part in today’s society”, says Susanna Pettersson, Director at Nationalmuseum.
According to public surveys, many have visited the museum for the very first time, especially during the summer. Faithful visitors have also found their way back to the museum and many have visited the museum more than once since its reopening. The people of Stockholm are well-represented among the visitors, even if the majority do not live in the Stockholm area. The proportion of foreign visitors was the largest in the summer. The vast majority of visitors over the past year primarily came to see the collections and secondarily the building itself.
Following the renovation, the amount of art on display at the museum has tripled. The first permanent exhibition space for children has been created and there are now two artist’s studios instead of one. The museum has also started hosting baby tours. Previously restricted spaces have been opened up to the public, such as the Design Depot and the Old Library, as well as the restaurant being situated in a space which was previously used as a conservation atelier for the collection of prints and drawings. The Sculpture Courtyard has proven to be a very popular site for taking images for social media.
The renovation of Nationalmuseum has received a number of awards, such as the ROT Award in 2019, The Stone Award in 2018 and Concrete Architect of the Year in 2018. It has also been nominated for Facade of the Year and the Steel Building Award in 2019. Nationalmuseum has also received a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence.
The anniversary of the reopening will be highlighted with an anniversary programme at the museum with lectures, discussions and movie screenings between 12–13 October. The theme on the Saturday will be “100 years after Carl Larsson”, and on Sunday, will be focusing on the journey towards becoming a successful museum, moderated by Li Pamp. The restaurant, celebrating its one-year anniversary, will be promoting craftmanship in food and drinks along with invited producers from the western part of Sweden.
The year in numbers
1,000,000 visitors
311 days of the museum being open
3,200 visits per day on average
4,000 group tours
14,000 visits from schools
109,000 lunches served in the restaurant
300 pieces swapped in the collection presentations
For more information
press@nationalmuseum.se, +46 (0)8-5195 4400
Nationalmuseum is Sweden’s museum of art and design. The collections comprise older paintings, sculpture, drawings and graphic art, and applied art and design up to the present day. The museum building has currently been renovated and reopened in autumn 2018. Nationalmuseum has partnerships with Svenska Dagbladet, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, The Wineagency and the Grand Hôtel Stockholm.
