Facts about the museum
Arbetets museum – The Museum of Work – is an unusual museum. It is a meeting place for all senses.
This old cotton mill, once described by Carl Milles as the most beautiful industrial building in Sweden and known locally as the iron (strykjärnet) is simply full of life. The museum depicts working life and working conditions through exhibitions, seminars and programme activities. Arbetets museum should be an innovative meeting place which promotes discussion on peoples work, lives and conditions.
Organisation
Arbetets museum is a private foundation owned jointly by the following organisations: Landsorganisation – the Swedish Trade Union Confederation; Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation – the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees; Arbetarnas Bildningsförbund – the Worker’ Educational Association; Kooperativa Förbundet – the Swedish Cooperative Union The running and management costs are financed through government subsidies whilst the projects are in the main, funded by the foundation. The building is owned by the Landsorganisation and the Kooperativa Förbundet who permit Arbetets museum the use of this property.
Mission
Our mission is to document working life and bring its’ history to life through: providing a forum for debate and interpretation of the working lives and conditions of women and men. The museum shall also initiate, pursue and support research within its’ area of activities and to administer and develop those operations in accordance with the guidelines specified by the Foundation.Arbetets museum has a special responsibility for all the Working Life Museums in Sweden. Our role is to preserve and cultivate our cultural heritage so that it lends perspective to the development of our society and the conditions under which we live. The museum shall document the progress of industrial history and work together with other museums and institutions whose area of interest also lies within this sphere. Another role of the museum is to encourage and stimulate debate within the field of work and working conditions. Arbetets museum is also interested in developing its’ own knowledge base and in consequence has developed close contacts with universities, colleges and other museums active within our specific area of interest.