Old vehicles in a new museum

The foundation Sodermanland Military History Collections runs, in cooperation with a number of companies and organisations, a project aiming to create a museum for military history and military technology of the highest international standard. Currently, exhibits of the new museum are being designed.

The museum will gather vehicles and equipment from the old Tank Museum, and the Museum of Military Vehicles together with the existing collections in Strangnas, in order to create a new museum where the Swedish military development will be displayed in an easily accessible manner. The emphasis will be on the 20th century. An effort of this magnitude will also make it possible to display things that might not merit a separate museum, but which are well worth the attention.

Both the old Tank Museum and the Museum of Military Vehicles contained unique collections, but both needed to be worked on in order to show the historical development and the usage of the equipment in an engaging manner. In Strangnas there are also a large collection of vehicles in running condition, presently among them Sweden's first tank model, currently under restoration.

To us, it is important to combine the historically correct, with an inspiring presentation. Taking place behind the scenes is also a thorough work regarding preservation techniques for vehicles and equipment in order to preserve these for the enjoyment of generations to come.

The basic display and theme displays

The museum will consist of several parts. First and foremost a basic display in the main building, where a number of vehicles are displayed in dioramas in order to clearly show their usage. This display will take the visitor through almost the entire 20th century, with an emphasis on the cold war and the era when all Swedish young men did national service.

From the stores we will bring large quantities of equipment, tools and utensils to show the vast array of abilities possessed by this army. Services that the army today buys from civilian contractors, the army of those days had entire organisations to perform.

If you have done military service some time during the past half century you will recognise and remember much, and if you haven't you will learn how it - really - was!

Luckily, the activities were only peacetime, but the practicing to go to war. We want to show both the regular day - with training and drilling - and how the army in those days visioned what it would be like if the worst came to the worst.

The largest undertaking, in peace as in war, is seldom discussed - maintenance and support. The organisations needed to keep the equipment operative and the personnel fit employ far more people than the "spearhead". The more advanced equipment the more important the support.

Our theme displays will also be located in the main building, together with the basic display. The theme displays will evolve over time, and with them we will show e.g.

• technological development,
• international comparisons,
• voluntary organisations,
• winter environment,
• the army as a career,

Museum surroundings

The study collection

For the enthusiast, a central department of the museum will be the study collection.
The vehicles which cannot get room in the dioramas of the basic display will be on display in a separate study collection. They will be shown without "props", arranged for photography and detailed study and available for research purposes.
Keeping in mind the amount of vehicles in the collections to be joined, it is likely that the study collection alone will amount to approximately 150 different vehicles.

Surrounding area

As the museum will be situated a short distance outside the town of Strangnas, there will be generous outdoor areas. Our soldier croft, entirely original, will be next to the museum and become a site for pleasant relaxation. In and around the soldier croft the visitor will be able to experience everyday life for the crofter and his family.

To become a crofted soldier was in those days a way for a man of no means to get a piece of land to have like his own.

Access to large areas outdoors is to us a central part in our vision of the new museum. While preserving vehicles and equipment, to also preserve the knowledge of their usage and to have the opportunity to show them "alive", with associated sounds and smells, is an invaluable part of the preservation act.

Activities

Together with the Swedish Armed Forces we will be able to create a historic context reaching to the present - and perhaps a bit further?

These visions are not utopic, but activities already occuring now and then in this country, at different events. We want the museum to be a natural place to meet and gather for live activities, from shows with 16th century halberdiers to displays picturing 1960's manoeuvres.

Relaxation and rounding off

Even an entirely ordinary day at the museum will be fun but taxing! Of course there will be places to acquire refreshments for a reasonable sum - indoors and outdoors. There will also be plenty of space for those who wish to enjoy their home made picnic.
Since we assume that our visitors to a large extent will have travelled far, we will have fresh and amply sized amenities for getting rid of the worst road dust.

Quite naturally, there will be a museum shop with an asortment of souvenirs and objects related to the museum. Books are favourite to many of us. We will also cooperate with the Association of the Strangnas Town Centre and have choice items from their member shops.

The museum shall be a tourist attraction in its own, but also a roadside oasis for those just happening to pass by.

Why Strangnas

The localisation to Strangnas is very appropriate from a visitor perspective, since this is where the E20 (Stockholm - Gothenburg) crosses the national road 55 (Uppsala - Norrkoping). Allegedly approximately 25.000 cars pass here on a daily basis.

The Swedish National Museums of Military History, SFHM, would like to see a national vehicle museum showing not only tanks, but the entire span of vehicles which actually did service in the Swedish defence - all in context. Thanks to this effort, it will be possible to show vehicles stored inaccessibly today.

In the autumn of 2005, SFHM presented to the Minister of Culture the report where this national vehicle museum in Strangnas is one of the more important investments. Currently SFHM is intensively working to plan the new national network of museums to show Swedens military history, where our new museum participates. The parliament is took the formal decision in this matter in the autumn of 2007.
Ground works are already under way, but we do not hope to be able to open the gates until spring 2011.

In Strangnas there is a wide spread support for the project, in the form of local entrepreneurs and the city council - everyone wants this to be a reality. In close cooperation with SFHM we and our partners will start construction of the museum as soon as practically possible.
Here are also the enthusiasts, volunteers and visionaries who work voluntary on the project. The experience of successful entrepreneurs will be utilized. Exchanges with similar museums abroad take place on a regular basis. Cooperation with other museums and organisations within SFHM have started. Strangnas is ready to be a part of the new national network of museums portraying the Cold War.

 The pictures are made by E3D-Arkitekturvisualisering and Mikael Sundberg.
Photo: Stefan Karlsson and Lars-Erik Pettersson