ABBA museum to open in Stockholm

A museum dedicated to legendary Swedish disco group ABBA, which disbanded thirty years ago, will open in Stockholm this spring, former member Bjoern Ulvaeus announced on Wednesday. "This is a Cinderella story worth telling," he said at a press conference. ABBA, one of the most popular and enduring bands of all time, formed in 1970 and shot to fame after winning the Eurovision contest in 1974. The band, which has sold more than 378 million records to date, split up in 1982 and has never reunited. The museum, named ABBA The Museum, is the first one to be dedicated to the group and will feature objects, clothes and films. It will be housed inside the Swedish Music Hall of Fame and will showcase not only the history of ABBA, but also the history of Swedish pop music through a range of permanent and temporary exhibitions. "There was a time when we wanted to do a museum about ABBA and nothing else, but both Benny (Andersson) and myself want it to be part of a broader context ... which is that of the history of Swedish pop music," Ulvaeus said. He said that all four members of the group have approved the museum exhibits. "I couldn't dream of a better place," Ulvaeus said. Ulvaeus said he was doubtful over becoming an object in a museum before he died, until realising that the group had "created a lot." The museum will open on the island of Djurgaarden, already home to several museums, this spring "before the tourist season begins", its managing director Mattias Hansson told AFP. He said he had little hope of all four ABBA members reuniting for the inauguration. "If they all come I would be very happy, but they decide for themselves," he said. According to Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Ulvaeus has offered to serve as a financial guarantor for the Hall of Fame, which is being built with private funds.