History

The Silvermuseet opened its doors in 1965, but its story began long before that, in the early 1920s when Einar Wallquist - a young, newly qualified provincial doctor - came to serve in Arjeplog. He was soon captivated by the area and its people and began collecting objects to document Arjeplog's rich cultural history.

During the "Doctor's" forty years of service in the vast mountain village, the collections grew large and the "doctor's things" had to be accommodated wherever there was room in the community. However, it was only after Dr. Wallquist retired that he could seriously pursue his plans for a museum.

From the living room windows of his home Doktorsgården, Einar Wallquist could look down on the community of Arjeplog. At Torget he saw the old "Kronskolan", which had been a boarding school for the children of the nomadic Sami. The schoolhouse, built in the mid-1850s, was a large building that towered over the surrounding houses.
At the time of the Doctor's retirement, the Crown School had been empty for about twenty years. The building was extremely dilapidated and, as the new road linking Norway and Sweden was planned to run through the community of Arjeplog, the school was to be demolished. Dr. Wallquist, who was also a member of the municipal council, petitioned the National Heritage Board to obtain permission to move and renovate Kronskolan in order to adapt the building to a museum.

The doctor's petition was well received. The crown school was moved fifteen meters and renovated under Dr. Wallquist's supervision. He had the future museum decorated with environments taken from smallholder homes and with objects that were familiar to Arjeplog residents.

A few years after his retirement, in 1965, Einar Wallquist was able to open his Silvermuseet in the former nomadic school. He was then the museum's director until the end of 1985, when he passed away at the age of almost 90.

- It must never stand still, something must always be happening, said Dr. Wallquist back in his day. At the Silvermuseet, things are not standing still. In the 50 years since the museum opened, the old schoolhouse has been outgrown and new buildings have been added, both above and below ground. Activities have changed and become more specialized. While visitors from near and far enjoy the stories told in the exhibitions, the researchers at the Silvermuseet's research department INSARC conduct interdisciplinary research at the forefront of international research. New knowledge and insights are constantly being added to the museum and its exhibitions - it never stands still.