Abbamuseet, Stockholm

Abbamuseet is an interactive museum devoted to ABBA, and the building you see houses that exhibition on Djurgården. Its permanent exhibition opened in Stockholm on 7 May 2013, after travelling under the name Abbaworld through London, Melbourne, Sydney, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The project began in 2006, and the Stockholm presentation was curated by Ingmarie Halling, who is also the museum’s creative director.

Look at the building’s stepped profile: each upper level is set slightly inward from the one below. Painted solid and laminated timber frames long terraces and broad glazed sections, while the shallow roofs carry sedum planting. Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor designed the building, whose L-shaped plan rises to three storeys and a roof level.

The exhibition occupies the inner part of the ground floor and the basement, while Backstage Hotel uses the other floors. Inside, original objects are combined with reconstructed places from ABBA’s career. You can encounter the Polar Studio, where the group recorded songs in 1978, and a piano linked to Benny Andersson’s present studio.

Interactive features let visitors perform with the group, sing in a studio and take part in quizzes. The museum also contains a red telephone that any ABBA member can call, creating an unexpectedly direct connection between the exhibition and the band.