There is a strong connection between this place and the story of the country's form of government and that is what we focus on here. It feels natural to be able to start in the 11th century and end with a guided tour inside the Riksdag building, says Rebecka Nolmark, senior museum expert.
She has been responsible for the investigation into how the unique historical environment under Riksplan can be preserved and continue to be accessible to the public, while the Riksdag's need for new premises is met. And in the proposal that is now presented, the two activities simply share the premises.
Intelligent logistics
The concept is taken from House of Sweden in Washington and is described as an "intelligent logistics" where the premises can have several functions.
There, the task was that there would be exhibition modules that could be taken out and put back by anyone in a quarter of an hour, says Rebecka Nolmark.
The Medieval Museum in Stockholm closed in November 2023 after the Riksdagsförvaltningen terminated the museum's contract, in order to instead build a new visitor center for the Riksdag in the premises. The protests did not wait – the museum's premises contain medieval ancient remains that cannot be moved, including the remains of Gustav Vasa's city wall from the 16th century.
A national history
Even the new solution will be based on the "constants" that exist in the premises under Riksplan, i.e. the historical remains.
The Medieval Museum will thus not return to Helgeandsholmen, instead, a collaboration with the National Historical Museums is proposed.
It is a national history that we want to tell here and which stretches much further back than the Middle Ages. How Sweden has been governed at all times is not told in any other museum today. Then we also have the proximity to the palace and the royal armory with the entire royal history, says Rebecka Nolmark.
