Something to Declare

The Artipelag

Saturday, June 21, 2025

After seven days of juggling logistics, maps, languages, customs and cultures, we felt the need for a day of rest. Fortunate for us, then, that our friends Danielle and Ira had recommended that we take in The Artipelag. It’s an art and nature site located on one of the islands in the Stockholm Archipelago.

The name is a pun, taken from “art” and “archipelag“, the Swedish word for archipelago. (The above photo is not mine.)

Opened in 2012, it is the brainchild of Björn Jakobson, the founder of the Swedish infant-care company Babybjörn, which contributed about $69 million to the 25-acre project. The building was designed to blend with the surrounding landscape, and as shown below, the landscape is even inside the building:

Artipelag operates its own direct bus from Stockholm bus station (CityTerminalen). Entry to the building and the grounds is free. The museum charges only for special art exhibitions.

After we arrived and browsed the gift shop, we went straight to lunch (knowing us, what else would you expect?) at the upscale onsite restaurant:

After this delish repast, we took to the boardwalk that loops through the exquisite grounds:

Here and there are art installations of sculptures, e.g., a “solar egg;” a metallic human figure made out of letters of the alphabet of many languages; and a waterfront sculpture of a young boy who seemed quite forlorn, and for whom I provided some on-the-spot professional counseling (didn’t seem to work).

The “Solar Egg,” designed by Bigert & Bergström, was of particular interest. It is a giant, golden, egg-shaped cubicle, the interior of which contains an actual, working sauna (!) that is used on special occasions. We didn’t get to use the sauna, but we’re now refreshed and ready for tomorrow’s adventures.