Outdoor exhibitions and museums

Since its inception in 1987, world famous artists such as Yoko Ono and Roxy Paine have come to this place, soaked up the atmosphere and then developed a unique exhibition specifically for Wanås and installed it on site. Explore the art in the woods, buy your food at the organic farm, or pop into the shop and cafe to get refreshed.

Wanås is a place where art, nature and history meet. Since 1987, Wanås presents contemporary international art with a focus on site-specific installations. Wanås is located in Östra Göinge in southern Sweden and consists of a medieval castle, an organic farm, an art gallery, a huge sculpture park with a collection containing 50 permanent art works, as well as a shop and a café. Every year world-renowned artists are invited to produce art at Wanås.

The sculpture park is a must see for art lovers and a great experience for those who are just curious. Every year, Nordic and internationally known artists into Wanås to produce new art in the park and inside the buildings. The installations are created by the the artists on site, tailored to fit the beautiful scenery around Wanås. Some of the artworks blend so well into the nature that they are difficult to distinguish. A seemingly ordinary stump is in fact a well-layered work of art and the beautiful birds singing in the forest is really just a tape that goes on repeat. Or is it a real bird sitting over there in the tree? Then again. Listen carefully.

And whatever you do, do not miss Yoko Ono's works. In 14 apple trees, visitors get to hang notes that they write their wishes on. Each year the wishes are sent to Iceland where Yoko Ono stores them in memory of John Lennon.

Kulturen is one of the world’s best open air museum in central Lund, the picturesque university town of Skåne. It comprises two blocks of historical buildings and gardens.
Walk in the beautiful park among ancient preserved or recreated buildings gathered from around the country, some of which stand on the site where they were once built. The houses are surrounded by cobblestone streets settings and beautiful gardens.
Kulturen is built according to the pavilion system that has inspired different world exhibitions of the nineteenth century. There are up to twenty different exhibitions, highlighting everything from art, design, culture and history.
The playground features a small water system with an old-fashioned, manual pump that keeps the youngest ones entertained for hours. There are often temporary exhibitions aimed especially at kids. If you get hungry, drop into the restaurant and café, or enjoy a picnic on the well-kept lawns.

Fredriksdal, located in the city of Helsingborg, is one of the largest open-air museums in Sweden, and is almost like a historical version of Skåne in miniature. Famous for its vast and diverse gardens, Fredriksdal features everything from botanical gardens with flowers and plants from the region to historical vegetable and herb gardens. Here you will also find historic buildings and whole preserved town quarters complete with cobble stones and old houses. The surrounding meadows and pastures are beautiful with grazing animals of ancient farm breed typical for this region, such as cows, sheep, goats and horses. Permanent as well as temporary exhibitions showcase life and culture through the ages and the old houses present an interesting journey through the different building techniques of history. The crown jewel of Fredriksdal is the ancient rose garden with its spectacular collection. Here you can decant thousands of fragrant beauties, the oldest one having been cultivated as far back as 2000 years ago.

Love medieval history and fascinated by tales of murderous Vikings? Foteviken gives you a glimpse of what everyday life was like for this aggressive, horn-clad bunch.
Foteviken is a reconstruction of a large Viking Age settlement on the Höllviken peninsula in southern Skåne where you can re-enact history.
This is an entire Viking Age town reconstructed using materials and techniques of the time. It’s no fake movie backdrop, but a city of real inhabitable houses, creating a strong sense of authenticity.
Domestic animals and cattle were very important to the Vikings and owning animals was considered a sign of wealth. Meet sheep, poultry and horses, often wandering freely in the village, just like they once did.
In the early 1980s, five sunken Viking ships were discovered in the waters just north of where the Viking town now lies. One of them has been recovered and a full-scale recreation of the ship is on display at the museum.
The week following Midsummer, the museum arranges the annual Foteviken Viking Market, an international fair that draws hundreds of merchants, craftsmen and ”Viking warriors” from across Europe as well as thousands of regular visitors.

Are you up for a trip back to the Middle Ages? Glimmingehus, located in eastern Skåne near the small city of Simrishamn, is the best-preserved medieval manor in all of Scandinavia. The origin of this stately fortress dates as far back as the year of 1499, and a visit here will give you fascinating insights in what life at that time was like. The old castle was built to be prepared for battle and features a lot of unique defense elements, such as gaps through which hot tar could be poured over intruders, drawbridges, trenches and other deadly traps. The staff takes ambitious part in making the history come alive - here you can listen to ghost stories in the summertime, you can try your hand at Middle Age-chores, join one of the guided tours or simply relax in the beautiful herb garden.

In the small village of Brösarp in east Skåne you can catch a preserved steam train. The train is a favourite among train enthusiasts of all ages, and traveling through the beautiful landscape with its forests and meadows feels like traveling through time.
The trip gives the atmosphere of a steam-operated railway in the 50s, with steam pumping from the chimney and the characteristic steam whistle sound.
The staff are dressed in time appropriate uniforms, making the whole experience feel like you are in a movie. There are four stations along the way; Brösarp, Ravlundabro, Vitaby and S:t Olof, all of which are picturesque and quaint little villages, perfect for a pause and an ice cream.
If you catch the train on a Sunday you can book a table in the restaurant car and enjoy a delicious meal en-route.