Description: Neither my husband nor I are huge fans of visiting museums, however, whilst in Bergen, at the end of our holiday around Norway, we made an exception and took a trip to the Old Bergen Museum (Gamle Bergen).
To get to this museum, you need to take a bus out from the main city centre. The tourist information centre near the fish market was extremely helpful and told us the various buses and their numbers that would take us out to this museum, however it is worth telling the bus driver that you wish to stop at the museum, so he can be aware. There is a bus stop right outside the tourist office which is extremely handy. The bus fares themselves are not expensive.
On the day we visited it was raining, quite typically in Bergen, so when we arrived at the museum, which is only a very short walk from where the bus leaves you at, there were very few visitors there, probably because this is an open air museum. However, we came prepared with our raincoats and umbrella's, and in fact as the day went on, the rain clouds dispersed, and we were able to walk around the museum area and keep dry.
Our first port of call when we arrived was the information centre to purchase our tickets for a guided tour. It is only through a tour guide that you can gain access to some of the 40 houses in the museum. Adult tickets, as of last summer, were 50Nk (£5) and a child's were admitted free. We felt this was quite reasonable by Norwegian standards.
The Old Bergen Museum is made up of 40 wooden houses that represent the architectural style in Bergen during the 18th and 19th centuries. The houses are built around narrow cobbled streets and squares, though be very careful when it is wet as walking down the cobbled stone street can be lethal, as it becomes extremely slippery.
There is a wide variety of houses on show, such as a bakery, dentist's, jewellers and even a sailor's house. Depending on the tour guide, you will have access to different houses.
Our tour guide, who spoke wonderful english, and was extremely knowledgable, showed around 4 or 5 houses. The first of which was the Krohnstedet, an extremely grand house, which gave a real feel to the luxurious lifestyles of some norwegians at that time.
We also visited the Baker's house and bakery, as well as the sailor's house (one of the smallest in the site, and which housed a large family in a very very small space). Getting up and around some of the houses was quite tricky and yet again, we were shocked at how little norwegians seem to have to cater for those with disabilities.
Nonetheless, we found the musuem to be very interesting, with the only downside being, that we didn't get to see more of the house interiors to appreciate even more about the lifestyles of norwegians at that time. It is also worth noting, that on site there is restaurant (although we didn't try this out) as well as restrooms. In better weather, there are several lovely picnic areas around a little pond/lake that would be very relaxing.
For anyone visiting Bergen, it really is a worthwhile attraction to take a trip to. The bus from the city centre takes just over 5 minutes, and the admission fee is qutie reasonable. It really does give you a feel for the architecture and lifestyles of those living at that time in Bergen. A great attraction in Bergen!
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