About the Nobel Prize Museum

A small museum with vast content

The Nobel Prize Museum is located on the ground floor of the Stock Exchange Building, at Stortorget, in the heart of Gamla Stan.

The museum is about the Nobel Prize, the laureates, and their achievements and discoveries. Our exhibitions and activities cover a wide range of topics – science, literature, peace efforts, and economics.

The Nobel Prize shows that ideas can change the world. The courage, creativity, and perseverance of the Nobel Laureates inspire us and give us hope for the future.

For the greatest benefit to humankind

At the Nobel Prize Museum, you can explore the Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel’s life and the achievements and discoveries of the Nobel Prize laureates. Our exhibitions and activities cover many different fields – natural sciences, literature, peace and economics.

Alfred Nobel had a clear vision about the prize that he created. In his will, he wrote that he wanted to reward those who had “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”. The Nobel Prize laureates and their stories come to life at the Nobel Prize Museum. Their work and their life journeys reflect the history of the early 20th century through to the present day. By learning from the past, we can better understand our present and shape our future.

Building on the Nobel Prize’s unique combination of fields (natural sciences, literature, peace and economics), we organise exhibitions, school programmes, lectures and dialogues about the greatest issues of our time.

Our permanent exhibition includes unique objects that belonged to laureates and that tell the stories of freedom fighters, writers and scientists who each contributed to the greatest benefit to humankind. Explore the exhibition with a guided tour, listen to our audio guide or watch a video in the small cinema. We also have a smaller area for temporary exhibitions with new exhibitions opening three to four times a year.

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Photo: Nanaka Adachi © Nobel Prize Outreach

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2 (of 9) Detail from the exhibition These things changed the world

Photo: Nanaka Adachi © Nobel Prize Outreach

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© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clément Morin

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4 (of 9) From left: Dresses worn by May-Britt Moser, Alice Bah Kuhnke and Amanda Lind.

Photo: Dan Lepp @ Nobel Prize Outreach

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Photo: Nanaka Adachi © Nobel Prize Outreach

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Photo: Clément Morin © Nobel Prize Outreach

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© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clément Morin

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8 (of 9) Help a scientist closing conference 2024. Students together with Nobel Prize laureate Victor Ambros.

Photo: Dan Lepp © Nobel Prize Outreach

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Photo: Nanaka Adachi © Nobel Prize Outreach

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Exhibitions, evening programs, and education

Since the Nobel Prize Museum opened in 2001, we have welcomed thousands of curious school students. We also meet their teachers at our annual international teacher conference and during our dedicated teacher evenings. Education and professional development for educators are among our cornerstones.

We host evening programs featuring panel discussions, music, quizzes, food and drink tastings, and workshops. In addition, our traveling exhibitions have toured the world, engaging both students and local audiences in many countries.

Through exhibitions, gatherings, digital platforms, and public activities both in Sweden and internationally, we aim to create inspiring encounters between people – people who dare to question, who want to ask new questions, think new thoughts, and contribute to a better world.

History

The Nobel Prize Museum opened in the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building (Börshuset) in the Old Town (Gamla stan) in conjunction with the Nobel Prize centenary in 2001.

The first exhibition, Cultures of Creativity, focused on creativity as a common thread among Nobel Prize laureates, as well as the environments in which they worked. A touring version of the exhibition was also produced and shown in 14 locations across four continents between 2001 and 2007.

The next major travelling exhibition, Alfred Nobel – Networks of Innovation, opened in Dubai in 2008 and was displayed in five locations over the following years. It was followed by three more international travelling exhibitions between 2013 and 2019.

Since its opening, the museum—originally intended to be housed temporarily in Börshuset —has hosted a wide range of temporary exhibitions. These have explored individual Nobel Prize laureates, scientific discoveries, literature, peace efforts, and topics where art and science intersect.

Donations from Nobel Prize laureates, consisting of objects that convey their stories in various ways, have enriched the exhibitions over the years. In 2024, a new permanent exhibition, These Things Changed the World, opened. It showcases the majority of these items together for the first time.

The exhibition spaces, along with a restaurant, museum shop, and a room for children, are located on the ground floor. The floor above houses the premises of the Swedish Academy.

When the museum opened in 2001, the premises in Börshuset were intended as a temporary solution while a new museum was being planned. Today, the museum remains in Börshuset and will continue to do so until the new public building for the Nobel Prize opens at Stadsgårdskajen in Slussen in 2031.

The shop

Discover a range of literature, gifts and souvenirs which connects to current exhibitions, the Nobel Prize and Alfred Nobel.

Discover the shop

For families

Experiment in our workshop room, take a quiz or explore the childrens room.

Activities for children

Events

Friday nights at the museum

Explore our events, which span from concerts, literary talks, lectures, and performances to food and drink tastings.

Explore our events