Two children sit at a table in the Naval Museum, learning to tie knots while smiling and concentrating in front of wooden boards showing different knot types.
Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark

Family Guide

The Naval Museum invites you to exciting experiences for the whole family! Here, children can explore the history of Swedish naval defence through fun-based learning, engagement and creation. Learn to tie knots and ropes, try your hand at firing a cannon, row a heavy gunboat, or check out an actual shipwreck in the Shipwreck Tunnel. Extra fun is planned during school holidays – perfect for curious children and adults who want to explore together! Children under 12 are welcome when accompanied by an adult.

Close-up of a craft table at the Naval Museum with brushes, scissors, and paint bottles, while children in the background work on their creations.
Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY

The Sailor's Workshop

Location: Floor 2
Included in the admission ticket and open on weekends and during school holidays.

The Sailor’s Workshop is the museum’s creative studio. Here, children of all ages have the opportunity to create. Make your own artwork inspired by the museum’s exhibitions and objects. All the materials and tools you need are provided – the only things you need to bring are your imagination and creativity!

A child tying strings around a wooden pole. The child has painted nails and is wearing a bracelet, looking focused while working with the strings.
Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark

The Knot Shed

Location: Floor 1, the exhibition Ships and People
Included in the admission ticket and open all year round.

Can you tie a real sailor’s knot? In the Knot Shed you can try what it feels like to be a sailor. Here you get to use both your hands and your head as you practice tying knots and hitches. It’s fun, sometimes a little tricky – and you’ll get better quickly!

Close-up of a rope tied around a metal rod in the ropewalk at the Naval Museum.
Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY

The Rope-Making Workshop

Location: Floor 1
Included in the admission ticket and open on weekends and during school holidays.

During weekends you can make rope with us in our beautiful exhibition Ships and People.  Rope making is a centuries-old craft with deep roots in the Naval City of Karlskrona. Thousands and thousands of metres of rope have been made here throughout history. We have hosts on site who will be happy to help you with your rope-making skills. 

A child and an adult look together at a cannon model in a display case at the Naval Museum, smiling with curiosity.
Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark

Activities on Your Own

Are you a true adventurer? In the entrance hall, the whole family can pick up a fun museum bingo. Explore the exhibitions together and check off squares as you discover exciting new things around the museum.

Included in the admission ticket.

Child-friendly activities in our exhibitions

Several of the exhibitions at the Naval Museum feature fun and interactive stations where children and adults alike can listen, lift, feel and see what is happening. Read more below!

The Submarine Hall

Location: Floor 1

The Submarine Hall is an exciting room to explore and marvel at. Here, you can go inside a submarine and see how people lived on board. Take a peek through the periscope and scan the bay – it’s a real, working periscope!  

The Submarine Hall

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  • Interactive activity in a water-filled glass tank at the Naval Museum demonstrating how a submarine moves underwater.
    Raise and lower the submarine: Try your hand at controlling the depth of the submarine by taking in and pumping out water. Try to balance the submarine so that it is directly in front of the image in the background! Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY
    Interactive activity in a water-filled glass tank at the Naval Museum demonstrating how a submarine moves underwater.
    Raise and lower the submarine: Try your hand at controlling the depth of the submarine by taking in and pumping out water. Try to balance the submarine so that it is directly in front of the image in the background! | Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY
  • An adult and two children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, listening through headphones at a digital station with a screen.
    Listen to the sonar: See what it’s like to work as a sonar operator in a submarine! Press on the submarine and listen! What can you hear in the water? Is it a motorboat, a school of fish or a torpedo? Foto: Erling Klintefors, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
    An adult and two children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, listening through headphones at a digital station with a screen.
    Listen to the sonar: See what it’s like to work as a sonar operator in a submarine! Press on the submarine and listen! What can you hear in the water? Is it a motorboat, a school of fish or a torpedo? | Foto: Erling Klintefors, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
  • Two people stand in front of an interactive wall game at the Naval Museum with blue lights.
    Mined sea: Take the submarine Hajen (“The Shark”) from the bottom to the surface by pulling the handles next to the board. Be careful not to let the ball fall into any of the mines! Photo: ©Emil Andersson
    Two people stand in front of an interactive wall game at the Naval Museum with blue lights.
    Mined sea: Take the submarine Hajen (“The Shark”) from the bottom to the surface by pulling the handles next to the board. Be careful not to let the ball fall into any of the mines! | Photo: ©Emil Andersson

    Ships and People

    Location: Floor 1

    Join us on a journey from oak to ship in what is now the World Heritage Site of the Naval Port of Karlskrona. The exhibition tells the story of life in Karlskrona from the 1600s to the present day.

    Ships and People

    Image carousel

    • Three children of different heights are standing with their backs to the viewer and looking at a painting of a sailing ship in a gold frame. Two of the children have long hair.
      The Ship’s Boy Chamber: A ship’s boy was a boy who was in training to become a sailor. Ship’s boys trained on land during the winter and at sea during the summer. Learn more about life as a ship’s boy. Try to figure out which items are hidden in the closed wooden boxes, or guess the weight of different sized cannonballs. The Ship’s Boy Chamber is open daily, all year round, and is located on the ground floor. Photo: Jakob Hedlund,The Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
      Three children of different heights are standing with their backs to the viewer and looking at a painting of a sailing ship in a gold frame. Two of the children have long hair.
      The Ship’s Boy Chamber: A ship’s boy was a boy who was in training to become a sailor. Ship’s boys trained on land during the winter and at sea during the summer. Learn more about life as a ship’s boy. Try to figure out which items are hidden in the closed wooden boxes, or guess the weight of different sized cannonballs. The Ship’s Boy Chamber is open daily, all year round, and is located on the ground floor. | Photo: Jakob Hedlund,The Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
    • Two children sit at a table in the Naval Museum, learning to tie knots while smiling and concentrating in front of wooden boards showing different knot types.
      The Knotting Shed: Tying knots is a necessary skill when working on board large ships and boats. It requires the use of both hands and your head, and it’s fun and sometime a bit tricky! In our Knotting Shed, you can practise tying knots and lashings. The Knotting Shed is open daily, all year round, and is located on the ground floor. Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
      Two children sit at a table in the Naval Museum, learning to tie knots while smiling and concentrating in front of wooden boards showing different knot types.
      The Knotting Shed: Tying knots is a necessary skill when working on board large ships and boats. It requires the use of both hands and your head, and it’s fun and sometime a bit tricky! In our Knotting Shed, you can practise tying knots and lashings. The Knotting Shed is open daily, all year round, and is located on the ground floor. | Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
    • Two children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, placing wooden pieces on a board showing a ship’s cross-section.
      The Oak Puzzle: Find the parts of the ship on the oak trees! Can you find the oak trees that have grown with the right curves to fit in the right place on the ship? Photo: Marinmuseum/SMTM. CC-BY
      Two children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, placing wooden pieces on a board showing a ship’s cross-section.
      The Oak Puzzle: Find the parts of the ship on the oak trees! Can you find the oak trees that have grown with the right curves to fit in the right place on the ship? | Photo: Marinmuseum/SMTM. CC-BY
    • Part of an exhibition at the Naval Museum showing information about ship’s boys, with a silhouette figure and signs featuring text and historical photos.
      Quiz: Ships and People: In the Ships and People exhibition, shadows emerge from the bustle of the city. Meet the people inside and outside the shipbuilding industry and find the answers to the quiz questions! The quiz is free of charge and can be picked up in the entrance hall. Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY
      Part of an exhibition at the Naval Museum showing information about ship’s boys, with a silhouette figure and signs featuring text and historical photos.
      Quiz: Ships and People: In the Ships and People exhibition, shadows emerge from the bustle of the city. Meet the people inside and outside the shipbuilding industry and find the answers to the quiz questions! The quiz is free of charge and can be picked up in the entrance hall. | Photo: Isabel Munther, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY

      Supremacy in the Baltic

      Location: Floor 1

      Sink a Danish ship, row a sloop and learn the commands of navy warfare. In this exhibition about Sweden as a sailing superpower, you can learn more about the important battle for the Baltic Sea.  

      Supremacy in the Baltic

      Image carousel

      • Three children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, aiming a cannon at a ship displayed on a screen.
        Sink the Dane: Sink a ship! Try your hand at firing a cannon. You have two chances. Can you do it? Photo: Unknown photographer, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
        Three children take part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, aiming a cannon at a ship displayed on a screen.
        Sink the Dane: Sink a ship! Try your hand at firing a cannon. You have two chances. Can you do it? | Photo: Unknown photographer, the Naval Museum/SMTM. CC-BY NC
      • A child takes part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, pulling a large oar to feel how heavy it is to row.
        Row with an Oar: A gun sloop was a small warship that the crew rowed to get close to the coast. Take an oar! Can you row a gun sloop? Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
        A child takes part in an interactive activity at the Naval Museum, pulling a large oar to feel how heavy it is to row.
        Row with an Oar: A gun sloop was a small warship that the crew rowed to get close to the coast. Take an oar! Can you row a gun sloop? | Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark

        From Sails to Steam Power

        Location: Floor 2

        In the 1800s and onwards, there was rapid technological development and many new inventions saw the light of day. The navy was greatly impacted by the rapid development of shipbuilding, machinery and weapons. Sails were replaced by steam and wood by steel.

        From Sails to Steam Power

        Image carousel

        • A child looks at a large steam engine behind glass at the Naval Museum, observing the machine’s details.
          Steam Engine: Here you can see a steam engine that was once installed on the gunboat Skuld, which was equipped with two steam engines. Start the engine by pressing the green button! Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
          A child looks at a large steam engine behind glass at the Naval Museum, observing the machine’s details.
          Steam Engine: Here you can see a steam engine that was once installed on the gunboat Skuld, which was equipped with two steam engines. Start the engine by pressing the green button! | Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
        • Two children looks at a large steam engine behind glass at the Naval Museum, observing the machine’s details.
          Steam Engine: Here you can see a steam engine that was once installed on the gunboat Skuld, which was equipped with two steam engines. Start the engine by pressing the green button! Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark
          Two children looks at a large steam engine behind glass at the Naval Museum, observing the machine’s details.
          Steam Engine: Here you can see a steam engine that was once installed on the gunboat Skuld, which was equipped with two steam engines. Start the engine by pressing the green button! | Photo: ©Jonatan Rennemark

          Practical information

          Prams

          Prams are permitted in the exhibitions, but please avoid blocking doors and exits.  

          Baby changing facilities

          There is a toilet with baby changing facilities on the ground floor.  

          Food and drink

          The restaurant offers child-friendly food. High chairs are available to borrow, subject to availability. A room for eating packed lunches is located on Floor 2.  

          Read more about Restaurant Bistro Skeppsgossen

          Lifts and accessibility

          Lifts are available to all floors, and accessible toilets are located at the entrance. Outside the museum, there are parking spaces for visitors with reduced mobility.  

          Read more about accessibility.
          • Visitors exploring the exhibition Ships och People at the Naval Museum in Karlskrona.

            Plan your visit

            Here you’ll find some practical information to help you prepare for your visit.

          • A person wearing glasses sits inside a submarine, illuminated by blue light, looking up at the ceiling through a round metal hatch.

            Exhibitions

            The Naval Museum tells Sweden’s naval story – past, present, and future.