Dalarnas Museum

The museum is located in the centre of Falun, directly by the river Faluån that meanders through the town, not far from the central square Stora Torget and the Kristine Kyrka. The museum has its roots in 1862 with the founding of the association Dalarnas Fornminnesförening. From 1892, the association displayed its collection in a first museum under the name Dala Fornsal, which was set up in an old gymnasium. After further relocations, the association opened the present Dalarnas Museum on May 3, 1962 in the new museum building on Stigaregatan.

The exhibitions at Dalarnas Museum

With over 60,000 objects, the museum has one of the largest collections of traditional objects from the Dalarna region. In the exhibition Dalahäster you can marvel at what is probably the world's largest collection of Dala horses. The Dala horse had its breakthrough at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, when a huge Dala horse stood at the entrance to the Swedish pavilion.

Another exciting exhibition shows the study and library of Selma Lagerlöf (1858 – 1940). The famous author lived in Falun from 1897, where she bought a villa in 1907. The entire furnishings of the two rooms were rebuilt in Dalarnas Museum in 1985 and display the condition of the rooms in 1940 when Selma Lagerlöf died. You can see the desk where she wrote some of her books, even though her most famous work, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, was written as early as 1906.

You will also find exhibitions on the traditional clothing of the region, the handicraft Dalmåleri, the industrial history of the town of Falun and the famous guitar manufacturer Hagström. The museum's own art gallery displays works of art from Dalarna dating from the 18th century to the present day - in total, this collection comprises almost 500 works.

Visiting Dalarnas Museum

Admission to the museum is free and a lot of effort is made on site to make it possible for everyone to visit. The exhibitions are usually suitable for wheelchairs. You can also enjoy a bite to eat in the in-house restaurant during your visit, and the museum shop offers souvenirs, literature and, of course, a wide variety of dala horses.