stockholm is a city of museums--like 87 of them--and this one, knut august almgren's sidenväveri (silk-weaving mill) is one of the best. it incorporates 150 year old functional looms into a historical museum setting, on which weavers demonstrate daily. it produced silk designs for the kings and queens of sweden for generations; while it was fully functional it was one of the largest employers of women in scandinavia. sadly, most of those women probably left mill employment profoundly deaf because just hearing one out of the many looms operate was INSANELY LOUD.
the almgren looms utilize punchcards to create jacquard patterns in the silk (just to see that alone was worth the price of admission), which are put on everything from ribbons to sheets of silk. if i remember correctly, it is the only functioning silk weaving mill remaining in northern europe...so check it out if you're ever looking for something to do in södermalm!
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