Junibacken
Encyclopedia
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...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The museum was officially opened by the Swedish Royal Family
Swedish Royal Family
The Swedish Royal Family since 1818 consists of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. They are entitled to royal titles and style , and some perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state...
on June 8, 1996. The museum is Stockholm’s 5th most-visited tourist attraction. The museum is devoted to Swedish children’s literature, but especially Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
. Outside the building is a bronze statue of Lindgren. The art direction and images for the interior design were made by Swedish artist Marit Törnqvist, who had previously made illustrations for more recent versions of Lindgren's books.
The museum contains the largest children’s bookstore in Sweden. The lockers in the entrance hall are unusual in that each is in the form of a giant book-spine, featuring world classics such as Treasure Island and The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
. Other main attractions include a Storybook Square, a mock public square where each house is devoted to a separate Swedish children’s author (other than Lindgren), from the earliest writers such as Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow was a Swedish author and illustrator of children's books...
to recent writers such as Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordqvist is a Swedish writer and illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his series Pettson and Findus, about an old farmer, Pettson, and his talented cat, Findus.- Background :...
. The square ends at a mock Vimmerby
Vimmerby
- External links :* - Official site* - Theme Park...
railway station. The station also presents framed copies of Lindgren memorabilia, including a glowing letter of praise for Lindgren from then president of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
. From the station visitors then take a theme-train ride through the world of Astrid Lindgren’s books, with one “stage setting” for each of her well-known works, such as Madicken
Madicken
Madicken is a fictional character created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren . Madicken appeared in six books, two movies, - Du är inte klok, Madicken Madicken is a fictional character created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907 – 2002). Madicken appeared in six books, two movies, -...
, Karlsson-on-the-Roof
Karlsson-on-the-Roof
Karlsson-on-the-Roof is a fictional character in a series of children's books created by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. The cartoon adaptation became popularised in the USSR with its release in the 1970s...
, Ronia the Robber's Daughter
Ronia the Robber's Daughter
Ronia the Robber's Daughter is a children's fantasy book by the noted Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981. In the film based on the story, Ronia was played by Hanna Zetterberg Struwe.- Plot summary:...
, Emil i Lönneberga, and The Brothers Lionheart
The Brothers Lionheart
The Brothers Lionheart is a children's fantasy novel written by Astrid Lindgren. It was published in the fall of 1973 and has been translated into 46 languages. Many of its themes are unusually dark and heavy for the children's book genre. Disease, death, tyranny, betrayal and rebellion are some...
. The train ride ends at a half-side reconstruction of Villa Villekulla
Villa Villekulla
Villa Villekulla is a fictional house that is the home of Pippi Longstocking, a character in a series of books. Pippi lives in Villa Villekulla along with her horse and her monkey, Mr. Nilsson...
, the home of Lindgren's most well-known character, Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
.
The museum also includes a theatre, restaurant and temporary exhibition space. The temporary exhibition space is usually devoted to a single author or character and normally remains in place for 11 months. Among the most popular of the temporary exhibitions have been Pettson and Findus
Pettson and Findus
Pettson and Findus is a series of children’s books written and illustrated by Swedish author Sven Nordqvist. The books feature an old farmer and his cat who live in a small ramshackle farmhouse in the countryside...
, and Trazan och Banarne.