Description: Ever since oil was found in the
Ekofisk oil field in the Norwegian part of the North Sea by the end of the 1960s, oil and gas exports have formed the biggest part of the country's economy. Stavanger became the de facto oil capital of Norway, when the
Norwegian State Oil Company Statoil chose the city for its headquarters. Forming the mainstay of Stavanger's economy, the coming of a
museum dedicated to oil was inevitable. The modern building was officially opened by King Harald V in 1999. The wonderful building itself, designed by the Norwegian architects Lunde and Løvseth, is shaped as a glass and stone version of an off-shore oil rig and blends in nicely together with the surrounding port. It is
located in Kjeringholmen on the shores of Boknafjord, a 10 minute walk north-east from the city centre. Entrance fee is 80Kr or half the price for children.
The museum itself mainly focuses on 2 aspects, one being the natural history of oil ("oil forming"), the other being the drilling for oil. The small natural history part has pictures and videos on the lengthy alteration from organic material like algae or plant leaves into different grades of crude oil. Also on display are some tubes containing different grades of oil, so one can view the difference in colour, consistency or viscosity. The largest bulk of the museum is taken by exhibits about drilling and oil rigs, mainly in the North Sea. The drilling process descriptions and plans are exemplified by real-life used drill heads, parts of shafts and other pieces of the mechanism. One part of the museum has several scale models from different types of oil platforms, from fully fixed to completely floating. A fun part of the exhibit, especially for children, is a reconstructed drill's control room, a safety escape route complete with netted chute, survival capsule, lifeboat and helicopter interior. Safety instructions, videos and lifesaving garment finish this collection. Last but not least, an on-site 3D cinema shows a highly informational video on Norwegian oil.
Close