June 23, 2026
So, another six months have passed and we have just passed midsummer. For me as the new museum director, it has also been about six months since I took office. At times that mark a turning point, we humans often engage in both summarizing and looking ahead.
How many of us don't, around New Year's, either for ourselves or more publicly, look back on the year that has passed and in almost the same breath make New Year's resolutions? Admittedly, six months is a short time to evaluate and I will not make any promises for what the museum will do over the next six months – but a certain amount of retrospection is in order.
The museum is now working very intensively to complete the absolutely necessary renovation. The building needed to be taken care of as it is almost a hundred years old. During the past six months, several parts of the renovation have been completed, although there is still some work to be done before the next phase of work for a reopening can start. In addition to window renovation, or a new and increased level of security, it is the new air conditioning system that will affect what the visitor will encounter. The air conditioning system together with a completely climate-safe floor will allow us to display objects that we have not been able to display before. This will lift the museum.
In my previous post under this heading, I wrote that “Norrbotten’s museum is a place for reflection” and that “this is not least important in a time of great societal transformations”. In parallel with the completion of the renovation, we are working on a new basic exhibition. On 250 square meters, the museum will tell a story that spans 11,000 years and a quarter of Sweden’s area. It will give Norrbotten residents and visitors the opportunity to reflect on how this part of the country has developed into what it is today – Sweden’s most exciting region!
During the spring, the museum started dialogues with municipalities in the county to see what is in demand, and to discuss how we can best meet. We have visited Kiruna, Arjeplog, Haparanda and Luleå in turn. The municipal visits will continue during the autumn. In Kiruna, much was about the work on the Capital of Culture year 2029, in Arjeplog the discussions concerned specific issues surrounding a sparsely populated municipality. With Haparanda, we discussed travelling exhibitions and the possibility of streaming lectures, while the focus in Luleå was on the cultural guarantee and how the museum should be able to reach children and young people. These visits are very valuable and will greatly contribute to the museum being able to live up to being a museum for the entire county, even though it happens to be located in Luleå.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who follows us and what we do. The fact that we often get questions about when we can reopen encourages us to work even harder and shows that what we do is important.
I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing summer, where between ice cream and the beach you take advantage of what we have to offer even if the museum is closed.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us: lennart.pettersson@norrbotten.se