The much advertised opening of the ABBA museum in Stockholm, scheduled for 4th June 2009, has been postponed indefinitely as the organizsers claim they have come against unforeseen difficulties with the renovations of the premises chosen. No new date has been set yet and all fans who have purchased tickets, as long as 18 months in advance, are offered a full refund.

A short press release on the official ABBA museum website informs fans from all over the world that the founders of the museum areforced to postpone the officcial opening of the museum, next summer, as Stora Tullhuset, the 100 year old warehouse that was supposed to house the band's items, has proven tougher to renovate than originally estimated.

Graeme Read, administrator of abbamail.com, the largest online ABBA fan community, is not convinced about the reasons of the delay though. He believes that there is a more complex reason for it which could possibly have to do with either the financing of the the project (ie luck of sufficient funding) or the failure of the company in charge to set a realistic timeline in the first place. "The stakes are high – for ABBA's legacy, for future sales of Universal ABBA product, for Mamma Mia! and, lastly, for those ABBA fans who desperately want an ABBA museum to exist. But if I was an ABBA fan who had already paid for airfare/accommodation, I would be very, very, very angry at the moment.", he concludes.

The organisers seem to have a more optimistic attitude towards the situation and they assure the fans that one way or another the ABBA museum will open its doors eventually: "All the original ABBA items have been collected, work on the interactive exhibition is ongoing, and we are working very hard, moving forward with the project. As a concept, ABBA the Museum is much bigger than temporary setbacks. So don't give up – we're not giving up!" they state.

More information about refunds for tickets and opening packages purchased will be communicated through the museum's website, here, in the weeks to follow.