Artur Hazelius
Encyclopedia
Artur Immanuel Hazelius (30 November 1833 – 27 May 1901), Swedish teacher, scholar and folklorist
, founder of the Nordic Museum
and the open-air museum Skansen
in Stockholm
.
Hazelius was born in Stockholm, son of Johan August Hazelius, military officer (with final rank of major general
), politician and publicist. He entered Uppsala University
in 1854, and received his Ph.D. degree in 1860, after which he worked as a teacher, as well as participating in several school-book and language reform projects.
In 1869 Artur Hazelius was the secretary of the Swedish section at the Scandinavian orthographic
congress in Stockholm (det nordiska rättstavningsmötet), and published its proceedings in 1871. The radical reforms in Swedish spelling proposed there sparked opposition from the Swedish Academy
and gave Johan Erik Rydqvist (1800–1877) the energy to publish the very conservative 1st edition of the Academy's one volume spelling dictionary in 1874 (Svenska Akademiens Ordlista
). However, many of the proposals from the congress were introduced in the 6th edition of the same dictionary in 1889 (e-ä, qv-kv) and the rest (dt, fv, hv) in a spelling reform for Swedish schools, introduced in 1906 by the minister of education Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916). Berg acknowledged that Hazelius had laid the foundation for all following spelling reforms.
During travels in the country, Hazelius noticed how Swedish folk culture, including architecture and other aspects of the material culture, was eroding under the influence of industrialization, migration and other processes of modernity, and in 1872 he decided to establish a museum for Swedish ethnography, originally (1873) called the Scandinavian ethnographic collection (Skandinavisk-etnografiska samlingen), from 1880 the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museum, now Nordiska museet). In 1891 he established the open-air museum Skansen
, which became the model for other open-air museums in Northern Europe. He got the idea after a visit to the world's first open air museum, the royal collection of buildings established near Oslo
in 1881.
For the Nordic museum, Hazelius bought or managed to get donations of objects – furniture, clothes, toys etc. – from all over Sweden and the other Nordic countries; he was mainly interested in peasant culture but his successors increasingly started to collect objects reflecting bourgeois and urban lifestyles as well. For Skansen he collected entire buildings and farms.
Although the project did not initially get the government funding he had hoped, Hazelius received widespread support and donations, and by 1898 the Society for the promotion of the Nordic Museum (Samfundet för Nordiska Museets främjande) had 4,525 members. The riksdag
, the Swedish parliament, allocated some money for the museums in 1891 and doubled the amount in 1900, the year before his death. During the last few years of his life, Hazelius lived in one of the old buildings on Skansen. He died on the 27 of May 1901, and on 4 February 1902, he was interred in a grave at Skansen.
Hazelius was married to Sofia Elisabeth Grafström, daughter of Anders Abraham Grafström
, a poet and member of the Swedish Academy
. His only son Gunnar Hazelius (1874-1905) succeeded him as keeper of the Nordic Museum, and Gunnar Hazelius's daughter Gunnel Hazelius-Berg was later keeper of the clothes chamber at Skansen and her husband, Professor Gösta Berg, for some time director of both museums.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, founder of the Nordic Museum
Nordic Museum
The Nordic Museum is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the Early Modern age until the contemporary period...
and the open-air museum Skansen
Skansen
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Hazelius was born in Stockholm, son of Johan August Hazelius, military officer (with final rank of major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
), politician and publicist. He entered Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in 1854, and received his Ph.D. degree in 1860, after which he worked as a teacher, as well as participating in several school-book and language reform projects.
In 1869 Artur Hazelius was the secretary of the Swedish section at the Scandinavian orthographic
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
congress in Stockholm (det nordiska rättstavningsmötet), and published its proceedings in 1871. The radical reforms in Swedish spelling proposed there sparked opposition from the Swedish Academy
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...
and gave Johan Erik Rydqvist (1800–1877) the energy to publish the very conservative 1st edition of the Academy's one volume spelling dictionary in 1874 (Svenska Akademiens Ordlista
Svenska Akademiens Ordlista
Svenska Akademiens ordlista, or SAOL for short, is a dictionary published every few years by the Swedish Academy. It is a single volume that is considered the final arbiter of Swedish spelling...
). However, many of the proposals from the congress were introduced in the 6th edition of the same dictionary in 1889 (e-ä, qv-kv) and the rest (dt, fv, hv) in a spelling reform for Swedish schools, introduced in 1906 by the minister of education Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916). Berg acknowledged that Hazelius had laid the foundation for all following spelling reforms.
During travels in the country, Hazelius noticed how Swedish folk culture, including architecture and other aspects of the material culture, was eroding under the influence of industrialization, migration and other processes of modernity, and in 1872 he decided to establish a museum for Swedish ethnography, originally (1873) called the Scandinavian ethnographic collection (Skandinavisk-etnografiska samlingen), from 1880 the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museum, now Nordiska museet). In 1891 he established the open-air museum Skansen
Skansen
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
, which became the model for other open-air museums in Northern Europe. He got the idea after a visit to the world's first open air museum, the royal collection of buildings established near Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1881.
For the Nordic museum, Hazelius bought or managed to get donations of objects – furniture, clothes, toys etc. – from all over Sweden and the other Nordic countries; he was mainly interested in peasant culture but his successors increasingly started to collect objects reflecting bourgeois and urban lifestyles as well. For Skansen he collected entire buildings and farms.
Although the project did not initially get the government funding he had hoped, Hazelius received widespread support and donations, and by 1898 the Society for the promotion of the Nordic Museum (Samfundet för Nordiska Museets främjande) had 4,525 members. The riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, the Swedish parliament, allocated some money for the museums in 1891 and doubled the amount in 1900, the year before his death. During the last few years of his life, Hazelius lived in one of the old buildings on Skansen. He died on the 27 of May 1901, and on 4 February 1902, he was interred in a grave at Skansen.
Hazelius was married to Sofia Elisabeth Grafström, daughter of Anders Abraham Grafström
Anders Abraham Grafström
Anders Abraham Grafström was a Swedish historian, priest and poet.In 1819, Grafström was the library secretary of Uppsala University. The following year he was named as a lecturer in history at the university, and he later taught at the Military Academy Karlberg...
, a poet and member of the Swedish Academy
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...
. His only son Gunnar Hazelius (1874-1905) succeeded him as keeper of the Nordic Museum, and Gunnar Hazelius's daughter Gunnel Hazelius-Berg was later keeper of the clothes chamber at Skansen and her husband, Professor Gösta Berg, for some time director of both museums.
External links
- Nordiska museet, official site
- Skansen, official site
- Artur Hazelius: Biography from Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon, Vol. I (1906), p. 467f. (in Swedish)
- Artur Hazelius: Biography from Nordisk familjebokNordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...
, 2nd ed., Vol. 11, col. 148ff.