Oslo's Famous Museums

For anyone with even a passing interest in history, Norway offers one of the finest networks of museums anywhere. There are over 800 museums to choose from and Oslo has more than anywhere else. Several are in the downtown area but my favourites are in the suburbs.

For the traveler with limited time, the Bygdøy peninsula, a short ferry trip from downtown Oslo, is a must-visit. Located within a few blocks of each other are five museums offering a widely varied view of Norway's past, from farming and religion to shipbuilding and exploration. I review three of them here. The others are:

The Norwegian Folk Museum, which is home to a wide array of buildings and related artifacts. Guides in folk dress add to the flavour of the complex during the summer months.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum, founded in 1914, which houses a vast collection of ships, boats, and related artifacts and other material. Of particular note is the museum's boat collection, which ranges from dugout canoes to polar exploration ships and a modern racing sloop.

The other three museums are covered in this journal. The Fram Museum preserves the polar exploration ship Fram, which, between 1893 and 1925, sailed further north and further south than any other surface vessel. Fridtjof Nansen designed her specifically for ice-choked waters, and he spent the years 1893-1896 sailing and/or drifting in the Arctic seas. Otto Sverdrup then used her to explore northwestern Greenland from 1898 to 1902. Finally, between 1910 and 1925, Roald Amundsen took her to both the Arctic and Antarctic on four trips.

The Viking Ship Museum houses three ships found in large burial mounds in the Oslo fjord region. The best-preserved Viking ships in existence, each contained a wealth of material, both decorative and utilitarian, dating back 1200 years.

The Kon-Tiki Museum preserves two boats used by Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. He gained fame for his voyages across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in boats built with prehistoric designs and materials. The boats are the raft Kon-Tiki, with which he proved in 1947 that the first Polynesians could have come from South America rather than Southeast Asia as had always been accepted, and the papyrus Ra II which he sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 1970.

There are two other venues to visit in other parts of Oslo which have associated museums. The Vigeland Sculpture Park covers an area of 80 acres and contains 212 remarkable sculptures all designed by Gustav Vigeland. The Vigeland Museum is in his studio. The park is stunning and I’m not surprised that it is Oslo’s most visited attraction. This is a “don’t miss” place to visit.

So too is the Holmenkollen Jump Tower and Ski Museum. The jump is amazing to everyone who visits while the museum will appeal more to ski enthusiasts. If you have the chance, try the ski simulated at the tower for a great thrill.

Quick Tips:

Don’t rush these museums because there is much to see. Each could take 1.5 hours of your time.

The Norwegian Folk museum will take longer than 1.5 hours particularly if you want to see the extensive outdoor area. This is probably the most interesting part of the museum with the stave church one of the highlights.

If you are visiting the Bygdøy peninsula museums by boat, remember that the ferry always travels in an anti-clockwise direction and there are two stops on the peninsula. You need to visit the Viking ship and Folk museums first (Dronningen dock) and then go on to the others (Bygdoynes dock). You can walk between the museums in about 15 minutes if you don’t want to wait for a ferry at Dronningen.

If you are a museum fan, the Oslo Card is a good deal. This gives you free access to 33 museums, free public transport, free parking in municipal car parks and some other benefits. You can get a pass for 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. The cost per adult pass is 220, 320 and 410 Kroner respectively.

There are many other museums in Oslo but most have appeal only to those with particular interests. Two that are worth considering are the Resistance Museum in the grounds of the Akershus Fortress and the Munch Museum. The Resistance Museum gives a picture of the major events in Norway during the Nazi occupation in World War II. The Munch Museum contains a broad collection of the painter’s expressionist works.

Best Way To Get Around:

The five museums in this journal are in different parts of the city. Fortunately you can visit them all on the 4-hour Oslo Grand Highlights tour. This departs from the town hall at 10.15am each day and also includes a city tour showing the downtown area, the new opera house and so on. The cost is 340 Kroner adult and 170 child.

If you prefer public transport, you can reach the Bygdøy peninsula museums on the No 30 bus from the Central station and the national theatre. In summer, a more picturesque trip is by No 91 ferry from a jetty near the town hall. The sculpture park can be reached by tram from the central city and there is a suburban train which runs close to the skijump. You would be struggling to visit all five using public transport in one day.

Here you’ll find the world’s most famous polarship, “Fram”. The ship is displayed in its original condition with interior and expedition objects perfectly preserved. You can climb on-board the vessel and explore.

The museum tells the story of the Norwegian polar expeditions: Nansen’s journey across the Polar ocean and his attempt to ski across the North Pole, Sverdrup’s expedition to Greenland, a voyage where more than 200,000 square kilometers of unchartered land was discovered, and Amundsen’s journey to the South Pole, the discovery of the Northwest Passage and his attempt to reach the North Pole. Each was carried out in “Fram”.

“Fram” is claimed to be the strongest vessel in the world, and the one sea-going vessel that has been the farthest both to the north and the south. It was launched in 1892, and was built by the famous ship builder, Colin Archer. Fridtjof Nansen got in touch with Archer in 1890, because he wanted to build a ship that would withstand the rough ice conditions on its way to the North Pole.

Archer constructed “Fram” so that it wouldn’t break as a result of the ice pressure. On its first expedition with Nansen, the ship demonstrated its capabilities in the ice. Where other ships had been smashed to pieces, “Fram” was pushed on top of the ice. Three years later it headed out on another expedition, this time with Otto Sverdrup as leader.

“Fram” was refitted for Amundsen’s planned journey towards the North Pole, but circumstances changed and it headed instead towards the South Pole. Once again “Fram” withstood the strains and hardships of the polar oceans, and the vessel safely carried Roald Amundsen and his successful crew to the Antarctic and back again.

During World War 1, “Fram” was forgotten about but at the end of the 1920’s, people who cared about the ship, started to take action in order to restore “Fram” to its original condition and have it placed in a proper setting. In 1935, “Fram” was towed to a new building on Bygdøy and the building became a museum where it remains today.

I found it very interesting to see the displays and particularly to be able to climb down into the bowels of the ship. These explorers were undoubtedly strong men and the conditions they endured were amazing. I certainly would not have volunteered.

The museum also has a representative selection of stuffed animals from the Polar region, like polar bears, penguins and Moscus ox. These would be particularly interesting for children.

Normal adult admission is 50 Kroner and children and seniors are 20 Kroner. Opening hours vary throughout the year but it is open everyday from at least 10am to 3pm (in summer until 6pm).

Take the No 30 bus or, in summer, the No 91 boat from downtown Oslo.

Tel: 2328 2950; Email: anne@fram.museum.no

I was very impressed by this museum because of the subject matter and the way it is displayed. Thor Heyerdahl is one of the twentieth-century’s most interesting scientist, adventurer and champion of the environment. The Kon-Tiki Museum houses original boats and exhibits from Thor Heyerdahl’s world famous expeditions. The museum is home to permanent exhibitions about: Ra, Tigris, Fatu-Hiva, Kon-Tiki, and Easter Island. It has a separate area for short-term exhibitions, as well as a 30-metre cave tour.

The Kon-Tiki expedition caused considerable interest when it started on the 28th of April 1947. The Kon-Tiki raft was towed out of the harbour of Callao in Peru, and left adrift in the Humboldt Current. A hundred and one days later, after crossing 4300 miles (8000 km) of the Pacific, the raft was washed up on the Raroia Reef well inside Polynesia.

The object of the expedition was to test the sea-going abilities of the South American balsa raft, and to investigate whether it would have been possible for the original native population of Peru, the Incas and their remarkably cultured predecessors, to have reached the islands out in the open Pacific.

The raft is amazingly small when you consider where it went. Equally impressive is how six people could exist in such a small space for 100 days. I would not survive for more than a day. The museum gives you a great arms length view of it from all four sides.

After the success of Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl moved on to other things. More than 20 years later, however, he set out on another major expedition. On 17th May 1970, the reed boat Ra II set sail from Safi in Morocco on course for Barbados. With this expedition Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove that adventurers could have used this type of vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean in ancient times.

After 57 days and 6,100 km, later the 8-man crew could show the entire world that people of different cultures and religions, from different nations, could work together under stressful, difficult conditions towards a common goal. Whether this proves anything about ancient travel is not completely clear. It was second time lucky for the crew. A mere year earlier, the first Ra expedition had almost made it across the Atlantic Ocean. With only a week remaining a construction fault resulted in the expedition having to be abandoned.

To reach the museum, you can catch a bus to Bygdøy from either the Central Station or the National Theatre. The No 30 bus runs every 15 minutes. During the summer season (April - October) you can also catch a ferry and this is the most interesting way to travel. The No 91 ferry departs from the quayside near City Hall at frequent intervals.

Normal adult admission is 50 Kroner and children and seniors are 30 Kroner. Opening hours vary throughout the year – in winter 10.30am till 3.30pm and summer 9.30am till 5.30pm.

Most of us have an interest in the Vikings. Their travels and huge reputation (think rape and plunder) fascinate me and it appears many others as well. I had been to other Viking museums around Europe but the opportunity to see actual Viking seagoing vessels was too good to miss. I was not disappointed.

The Viking Ship Museum displays the large Viking ships Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune, as well as finds from the chief grave at Borre in the Vestfold district. The three ships are the best-preserved Viking ships in the world. As burial ships, carrying the dead over to “the Other World”, the ships were equipped with unique treasures such as wagons, horses and especially textiles which are seldom preserved from the Viking age. Many are now on display at the museum.

Our knowledge of daily life in the Viking Age comes mainly from archaeological finds. The graves contained not only jewellery, weapons and vehicle tools, but also other tools and household goods. These finds are also exhibited in the museum.

When the Tune Ship was found and excavated in 1867 at the Nedre Haugen farm in Rolvsøy, no separate museum was planned for it; neither was a museum planned when the Gokstad Ship was excavated in the summer of 1880 at Gokstad farm in Sandefjord. The Gokstad Ship was exhibited as it had been found in a temporary shelter in the University Garden in Oslo. In 1904 the Oseberg Ship was excavated from the Oseberg Farm in Slagen. After the excavation, the ship was reassembled in yet another temporary shelter in the University Garden.

In 1913 Professor Gabriel Gustafson, who had led the excavation of the Oseberg Ship, proposed the building of a Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy. That same year an architect competition was announced, and Arnstein Arneberg subsequently won this. The Norwegian Parliament allocated funding for the hall for the Oseberg Ship and finally in 1926 the Oseberg Ship wing was constructed and the ship transported there from the University Garden. In 1932 the wings for the Gokstad and Tune Ships were completed. The ships were now all in place. The last wing with grave finds from Oseberg was not completed until 1957.

Arnstein Arneberg is a highly renowned Norwegian architect and the Viking Ship Museum is one of his more significant works together with the Oslo City Hall and the home of the Norwegian royal family at Skaugum.

When you enter the museum you immediately face the Oseberg Ship. Walking past the ship, you reach the centre of the museum, with artifacts from the Oseberg discovery right in front, the Gokstad Ship to the left and the Tune Ship to the right. The Museum also has a balcony that is open to the public with a beautiful view of the Oseberg Ship and Gokstad Ship. On the mezzanine above the entrance there are thematic exhibitions. The museum also has a museum shop with books, posters, post cards, souvenirs and jewellery. In the summertime, food and mineral water are sold from the kiosk outside the museum.

Adult admission is 50 Kroner and for children it is 25 Kroner. The museum opens in winter from 11am until 4pm and in summer from 9am till 6pm.

Oslo’s most visited museum attraction is an outdoor sculpture park. The Vigeland Sculpture Park covers an area of 80 acres. The 212 remarkable sculptures were all designed by Gustav Vigeland. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds. The sculptures are placed on an 850-meter long axis divided into 5 main units. There is also a Vigeland Museum but this is much less known.

The park has sculptures in bronze and granite and several wrought iron gates. Vigeland modeled all his sculptures in full size and the result is stunning. The carving in stone and the casting in bronze were left to a number of talented craftsmen who worked with him.

The construction of the park took quite a few years. The area east of the two Frogner ponds was opened to the public in the 1890s. The area west of the ponds was in 1924 given to Vigeland for the construction of the Fountain, the Monolith and the many granite groups at the Monolith plateau. Around 1930 the sculpture park was enlarged eastwards, to include a new bridge decorated with sculptures and a unique main entrance in granite and wrought iron.

Unfortunately, Vigeland did not live to see the completed park. The majority of the sculptures and the architectural elements were not installed until about 1950. The municipality of Oslo was the main contributor to the realization of the Vigeland Park. However, a number of private persons and companies gave generous financial support. The result is a park unique in the world.

The park is about three kilometers to the northwest of the main center of the city. It is walkable on a nice day but you can also reach here by tram from the central city.
You enter through the Main Gate made of wrought iron and granite. Constructed in 1926, it is an impressive feature. This main gate comprises two common gates and five major gates. There are two gatehouses with roofs made of copper.

Between the Main Gate and the Fountain, you will find the famous bronze statue of the 'little angry boy'. This is one of the most popular sculptures in the park and you need to line up to photograph it at busy times.

Just after crossing the bridge, you see the Children's Playground. There are eight statues made of bronze showing children at play. Right in the middle of the playground is a granite structure on top of which is the sculpture of a fetus. The area also has a pond where you will probably see some geese and ducks swimming.

The Fountain formed out of bronze features 60 separate figurines. The concept of death giving way to a new life is depicted by the several sculptures of skeletons and children in the arms of huge trees. Around the Fountain is a mosaic pattern in white and black granite.

At the Monolith Plateau you will see 36 statues portraying the concept of "circle of life". There are eight wrought iron gates giving access to the plateau. The Monolith is the highest spot in the park. This towering structure is quite astounding and consists of 121 statues of human beings protruding upwards. I could have spent an hour here just admiring the sculptures and watching the visitors.

The Vigeland Museum is a ten-minute walk away. This is the studio of the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. In the tower is an urn containing Vigeland's ashes. There are nine rooms on the ground floor showing a wide selection of sculptures and certain drawings. Two rooms on the next floor show plastic sketches, drawings and woodcuts. Gustav Vigeland's flat with two sitting rooms, library and bedroom is on the top floor.

One of Norway’s most visited tourist attractions, the Holmenkollen Ski Jump is only a few kilometers north of the central city. This comprises the Ski Jump Tower with its spectacular views, the worlds oldest ski museum and a ski simulator where you can feel for yourself what it´s like to jump at Holmenkollen or race across county with some of the world’s fastest skiers.

There are also gift and souvenir shops, the Hoppcafè with its special Kollen-cake and a pleasant public area with outdoor service. The information in the Ski Museum is in Norwegian and English.

The Holmenkollen ski jump, is host to the world's second oldest ski jumping competition still in existence (the oldest being hosted by a small, local club named Medicinernes Ski Club in nearby Seterkollen).

The first competition in Holmenkollen proper was in 1892. Watched by a crowd of 10,000, the length achieved by the winner, Svein Sollid from Telemak, was 21.5 metres.

The capacity of the stands has today been increased to over 50,000 people and the jump has been extended 18 times since it was first built. This has allowed longer and longer jump records. Today's tower extends 60 meters above ground.

The current tower dates from 1939 but the ski jump has been upgraded as many as 15 times since then, most recently in 1982. During its time as a ski arena, it has served as host to nine different Nordic skiing and biathlon world championships, including the 1952 Winter Olympics.

In 1923, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum, located at the base of the tower, opened. It is the oldest ski museum in the world.

Midway down the ski jump, and on the main entrance from the parking area, there is a virtual entertainment device which allows you to see and feel how the ski jumpers ski. My wife tried this and said it was a great thrill.