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Welcome to Länsmuseet Varberg |

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Länsmuseet Varberg is Halland’s regional museum and is housed in Varberg Fortress. The exhibitions tell the cultural history of the county of Halland in south-west Sweden. The museum’s most famous find is the Bocksten Man, a medieval bog corpse dating from the 14th century. Other exhibitions include peasant life, folk art, the history of the fortress, the legendary ‘kulknappen’ bullet said to have killed Karl XII, and art. For children there is a wardrobe of historical costumes for dressing up and a fishing boat to play in. There are temporary exhibitions on art and cultural history throughout the year.
There is lots going on in the summer in particular, with dramatised tours of Varberg Fortress, a historical workshop for children, and the Cycle Museum. The regional museum also includes a Boat Museum in Galtabäck fishing harbour, a scant 10 km south of Varberg, which is open on weekends and holidays in the June-August period.
Some of the museum’s most popular activities include the annual market days, when the entire fortress buzzes with life. For example, there are the medieval days on the first weekend in July, when Varberg Fortress goes medieval with jesters and knights and a large medieval market. ‘Michaelmas food and festival’ takes place on the Michaelmas weekend at the beginning of October and is a multi-sensory experience with regional food, tastings, items for sale and the fortress decorated with vegetables. |

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EXHIBITIONS
• The Bocksten Man is a medieval bog corpse, the only one in the world in a costume preserved from the 14th century. The reconstruction of his face and body gives you the opportunity to come face to face with a man from the Middle Ages. • Peasant life and the story of farming in Halland from the 18th century to the present day • Art of the Varberg School with works by artists Richard Bergh, Nils Kreuger and Karl Nordström dating from the end of the 19th century • Folk art with painted wall hangings • The story of the town of Varberg and the fortress • ‘Kulknappen’ – the bullet said to have killed Karl XII – and the 18th century • Swedish art glassware • Mathilda Ranch – a photographer in Varberg at the beginning of the 20th century • This year’s temporary exhibitions | 
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VARBERG FORTRESS
Varberg Castle and Fortress is an immense structure providing a link between Danish and Swedish history. Today the fortress is one of Halland’s most popular tourist destinations. The Fortress is home to the regional museum, a youth hostel and restaurants
which are open all year.
Work on the castle on the cliff overlooking the North Sea began in the late 13th century, and its distinctive silhouette has been a symbol of power and history ever since. Between 1588 and 1618 the Danes, under Christian IV, built a fortress around the castle as a means of defence against the new-fangled cannons. An extensive system of casemates and high ramparts, unique in the Nordic region, was constructed.
Varberg Fortress played a role in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish national policy in the period 1300-1700.
The fortress’s defensive function came to an end at the beginning of the 19th century, and large parts were used as a prison instead. The military prison remains to this day but is now used as a youth hostel. From the start of the 20th century the fortress was used as a museum, and Länsmuseet Varberg now gives guided tours of the fortress, while the buildings are managed and maintained by the National Property Board. |

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GUIDED TOURS
Varberg Fortress is a living fortress, and there are guided toursdaily in the summer (from the end of June until mid-August) of the cannon room and dungeons. Länsmuseet Varberg has guides who play the part of different historical persons in costumes of the period, bringing the tours to life. The dramatised tours are only given in Swedish, but you can follow the tour
using written information in English.
English-language tours of the museum and/or fortress can be booked for groups, including outside normal opening times. For bookings and price details, please contact the museum. |

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AUDIOGUIDES
Länsmuseet Varberg:
You can borrow audioguides free of charge from the Museum’s reception area to provide an introduction to all the exhibitions in Swedish, English or German. There are no audioguides in the Cycle Museum, but we provide translations of information sheets in English and German.
Varberg Fortress
Audioguides with information in English and German on the history of the fortress are available to hire from the Museum’s reception area. The audioguide includes a map showing the various information points. Tours of Grey Friars’ Bastion and the dungeon are only available in Swedish, but you can borrow an English translation and join the tour. You can get all the information you need about this from the staff in the Museum’s reception area. | 
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ÖPPETTIDER: Måndag - fredag kl 10 - 16, lördag - söndag kl 12 - 16 Sommaröppet: 26.6 -22.8 dagligen kl 10-18 Stängt: 25.6, 23-26.12, 31.12 2010 & 1.1. 2011 ENTRÉ LÄNSMUSEET: Vuxna 50 SEK, barn & ungdom 0-19 år fri entré
NYHETSBREV
Anmäl dig här till Länsmuseet Varbergs nyhetsbrev
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