WELCOME!
TO GRENNA MUSEUM - THE ANDRÉE EXPEDITION - POLAR CENTRE NOMINATED MUSEUM OF THE YEAR 2010

Background
The Grenna Museum Foundation and the Andrée Museum were formed in 1977 by the Grenna Local Folklore Society and the Municipality of Jönköping. The Local Folklore Society has been extremely active since 1912, and has gradually built up a collection of objects and buildings, which together with various forms of activities have created a rich ensemble. Up until the formation of the Foundation, activities were mainly carried out by volunteers. In the 1970s, it became increasingly apparent that a full-time employee was needed. The first person recruited by the Foundation was Olof Fong - a grand old man within the protection of Swedish monuments and folklore, who during his time drove museum questions and tourism forwards within the region.


Today's activities
In May 2002, the Grenna Museum Foundation moved into new premises - the Grenna Culture Institution - with a museum on two floors, a tourist office, and the municipal library integrated with the Grenna Boarding School's library. We are located where the previous Andrée Museum used to be, of which the collection of objects and items is still with us, but now in significantly larger premises.


With the move, we adopted a new logo and a new name, Grenna Museum, which marks our geographical location and original concept of local history. The Andrée Expedition expresses that we are still an Andrée museum. Finally, the Polar Centre signals a new niche. Using a world-famous expedition - S A Andrée's Polar Expedition - with our collection of objects and items as a starting point, we also present other expeditions about both the Arctic and Antarctic, and keep you as a visitor updated about current research in the regions concerned. Our objective is to be the display window of polar research.


The overall surface of today's museum is almost three times greater than previously. Most space is devoted to Andrée/Polar on the lower floor. The local history section is located on the entrance level, coming in from Brahegatan. This area is equivalent to the entire surface of the old museum.


In the village of Röttle, we operate mill activities in the Rasmus Mill, and our outdoor museum - where the Local Folklore Society had its origins - is located on Gränna Mount with several culture-historical buildings.


Welcome!



Håkan Jorikson
Museum Director


THE EXHIBITIONS

The local history exhibition
portrays the region's history, with an emphasis on Gränna. The basic objective is primarily to present a theme, even if the section about the early settlers and Middle Ages comes first. Visingsborg County ­ Sweden's largest county in the 17th century ­ has its own little "corner". The town is formed within the fictitious customs posts and the surrounding countryside with a special section about the region's specific nature values.


Towards the museum building's light shaft, there is a section about the development of tourism in the region. This is followed by a section that we call "the involuntary tourist" ­ a story of the people who, because of war and persecution, were forced to leave their homes, and from time to time found themselves in the region as prisoners of war or refugees.


The special and particularly interesting features and objects in the local history exhibition include a 15th-century sword from Lake Vätten. The sword is almost intact, in its sheath, and was drawn up by a fisherman in his net between Gränna and Visingsö in the summer of 2000. In the county corner there are several models of local castles. Two of the three castles are today exciting ruins that you can visit. Next to the models there is a digital animation of the building and burning down of Visingsborg Castle. The models include a very realistic dummy - the count's bodyguard - who keeps watch over his countship. A similar dummy is placed next to the film corner (with newsreels), depicting the "peppermint rock mother" Amalia Erikson's peppermint rock kitchen, where she stands among saucepans and candy. We also show a short documentary about the loss of the Per Brahe steamboat in 1918 – you are welcome onboard (guaranteed to be seaworthy) - as well as another documentary about winter fishing on Vättern's ice in 1940.


Temporary exhibitions are held in our Gallery (free of charge) as well as within the local exhibitions. This summer we´ll set up a photographic exhibition about Cameroon: "Gränna-Cameroon-Gränna". It´s based upon photographic material from the years around 1908 and 2008.


The Andrée Expedition
is about S A Andrée's polar expedition in 1897. Objects, archives and photographs from the expedition are in the museum's exhibition. It is Sweden's largest polar-historical collection of items from one of the most debated expeditions. In addition to a large number of objects, the exhibition includes interactive stations – where you can browse and read excerpts from the expedition's diary, or visit Danish Island and White Island (from where the expedition started, and the last camp where they were found dead in 1930). You can also experience the landing place on the ice on 14 July 1897, based on Nils Strindberg's pictures. A large number of his pictures are also presented as a collage in the exhibition. The exhibition's "ice floe" contains the expedition's boat and tent, along with animals and noises from the Arctic, as well as a selection of films about the Arctic and the expedition. The balloon basket is in the centre of the room, rigged and ready to take off...

Please visit the Image Gallery, with pictures related to the S A Andrée expedition.


The Andrée Expedition is part of the Polar Centre.
The Polar Centre tells us about expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic other than those of S A Andrée – both from the past and from modern times. We take today's research very seriously, and is something we wish to mediate. There is a considerable amount to study in our reading corner, with a great deal of information about the Polar Regions and ongoing research. The reading corner also contains a setting that describes the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition that took place in 1949-1952. It is probably Sweden's largest collection of objects from this expedition, and includes illustrative maps of the Arctic and Antarctic with the expedition's routes and research stations. Not least, they give you an idea of the distances and geographical dimensions.
Exhibitions in the Polar Centre is for the moment under reconstruction, though we are open.


Temporary exhibitions are also held in the Polar Centre. This summer we show a photo exhibition of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society´s 80th anniversary and art by Gunnar Brusewitz.




OPENING HOURS 2010

jan 1 - may 15: hrs. 10.00 - 16.00
may 16 - aug 31: hrs. 10.00 - 18.00

sep 1 - dec 31: hrs. 10.00 - 16.00
Mid summers' eve june 25: hrs. 10.00 - 15.00


The museum is closed on christmas eve, christmas day, new years day and new years eve.




The museum, entrance fee
Adult: SEK 50
Children 7-15 years: SEK 20
Family max. 2+3 people: SEK 120

Student, Pensioner : SEK 30

Groups, at least 15 people
Adult: SEK 30
Children: SEK 15



Schools within the Jönköping municipality, until 9th grade enters free.




Grenna Museum guides
Daytime 20 min: SEK 200
Daytime 40 min: SEK 400
During evening time, an extra fee of SEK 400 is added to the prize above.




Rasmus Mill in Röttle - opening hours
May 1 - September 30: open on request
May 2,13,23: hrs. 13.00 - 16.00
June 15 - August 8:
tue hrs. 13.00 - 16.00
sat hrs. 13.00 - 16.00
sun hrs. 13.00 - 16.00





Rasmus Mill, entrance fee
Adult: SEK 20
Children: Free




Rasmus Mill guides (incl entrance fee)
Weekdays: school-/adult group SEK 300/600
Evenings & Weekends: SEK 800




The Grännaberget outdoor museum - opening hours
Jan 1 - Apr 30: closed
May 1 - Aug 30: the cabins are open then the Coffee Hut is open. If you have any other desires, please contact
the museum.