The Gold Room
Sweden has one of Europe’s richest collections of prehistoric gold and silver. Nearly 3,000 of these treasures are displayed in the Gold Room at the History Museum. For centuries, these objects lay hidden in the ground, until they were eventually found by servant girls, farmhands, crofters, and forestry workers. Thanks to a law dating back to the 17th century, all ownerless finds of gold, silver, or copper older than 100 years must be handed over to the state. The finders received compensation, which allowed these treasures to be saved and preserved for future generations.