nature centre
There are 32 nature centres in Sweden. They are spread from Abisko in the north to Öresund in the south. A nature centre is a portal, or a bridge, into nature. Here you will meet knowledgeable staff and exhibitions that tell you about the animals and plants, as well as the geology and cultural history that have shaped the local area. Further down you will find information about Naturum for those who want to visit us with a school class.
What will you find in our nature centre?
In our exhibition you can learn more about Lake Vänern and the archipelago in the immediate area. Here you can watch, read about and even listen to the inhabitants of Lake Vänern as they tell little stories from their everyday lives. During spring and autumn we have guest lecturers with different themes in nature and culture, check our calendar to see the next Thursday lecture.
During the holidays, children and adults can take part in a bug safari with a naturum guide. For those who like to explore on their own, there is a guided walk and a longer animal hunt.
For those who long to get out on Lake Vänern's wide waves, there are guided boat trips and kayaking with a nature centre guide during the summer.
Welcome to naturum Vänerskärgården, it is always free to enter!
Exhibitions at the naturum
Visit our exhibitions at the naturum
What is a nature centre?
There are 32 nature centres in Sweden. They are spread from Abisko in the north to Öresund in the south. A nature centre is a portal, or a bridge, into nature. Here you will meet knowledgeable staff and exhibitions that tell you about the animals and plants, as well as the geology and cultural history that have shaped the local area. Naturum is a registered trade mark owned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Naturum Vänerskärgården is a bridge out towards Djurö National Park and other beautiful natural areas around Lake Vänern. The fact that Djurö National Park is in the middle of Lake Vänern is one of the reasons why the Vänerskärgården nature centre is located at the far end of Kållandsö and not at the national park entrance.
The area around Naturum Vänerskärgården and Läckö Castle is also part of the Unesco Biosphere Reserve Kinnekulle with Vänerskärgården and Sweden's first Unesco global geopark: Plateau Mountains Geopark.
The background
After the initial architectural competition, Mattias Lind and Ulla Antonsson from White Architects in Gothenburg began the exciting work of designing a nature centre in harmony with Läckö Castle and in the unique Lake Vänern archipelago. The result was an exciting building with a design language inspired by the delicate reeds and raw driftwood of Lake Vänern. At the same time, a small, competent team worked on the exhibition. The richly designed exhibition was produced by the Läckö Castle Foundation with Kicki Rask as project manager. The form of the exhibition was developed together with White Architects. The script and exhibition texts were produced by Vänermuseet in Lidköping.
In the middle of Lake Vänern's nature and culture centre and right next to Läckö Castle now stands Naturum, a symbolic gift to HRH Crown Princess Victoria on her 30th birthday. The Crown Princess is also the patron of Naturum Vänerskärgården - Victoriahuset. It is a natural, enjoyable and beautiful meeting place for everyone and Sweden's first nature centre to offer overnight accommodation.
Naturum Vänerskärgården - Victoriahuset has been realised through the following partners: Läckö Castle Foundation, Lidköping Municipality, Sparbanken Lidköping, Sparbanksstiftelsen Väst, Västra Götaland County Administrative Board, Västra Götaland Region, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Swedish National Property Board.
What does it look like?
It's hard to compete with Läckö Castle in terms of appearance, so when a new building was to be built on the site, the architects chose a look that wouldn't take the focus away from the castle but still be inspired by the Baroque style. The building blends into the reeds surrounding it with its wooden façade and rounded corners, from a distance it can be difficult to distinguish the building even though you can see the castle. The building was designed by White Arkitekter.
When you enter the house, you will have to cross between the islands that are the reception and the exhibition. Don't forget to look up at the ceiling which is inspired by the baskets used by the gardeners in the Little Castle Garden.
Many activities in the same building
When plans were made to build another building in the Läckö area, there were many activities that needed to be accommodated. There was a desire for a hotel so that guests could stay longer, and it also opened up for conferences. At the same time, the restaurant needed to move from the castle because of the fire risk, there was a need for a reception where guests could easily get answers to their questions, and the Djurö National Park needed a nature centre that told about the environment. All this came together in the Vänerskärgården nature centre - Victoriahuset!
Dear child has many names.
Victoriahuset, naturum Vänerskärgården and Hvita Hjorten... Many names circulate when this building is mentioned. The building is called naturum Vänerskärgården - Victoriahuset. It houses a nature centre with an exhibition about the Väner Archipelago and Djurö National Park. Victoriahuset is named after Crown Princess Victoria. Hvita Hjorten was the name of the older building that previously stood on the site.
Why Victoria?
The house is named after HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland. She received the house as a symbolic gift from the region for her 30th birthday. The Crown Princess is also the patron of the house and under one of the limestones she has placed a secret object in the time capsule that was lowered under the house at the inauguration.