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No getting away from it - the Folke Museum or Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is a little bit too folksy in parts but there are several reasons to visit.
Firstly, getting there. Sailing across the Oslo Fjord on a sunny afternoon is just about the nicest way to get to a museum that I can think of. Pier 3, across from the Radhus, the boats leave as regularly as a bus or a tram.
Secondly, the whole environment. The Bygdoy Peninsula is a total change from the city and the grounds of the Folke Museum are extensive. The biggest attraction here is the Gol Stave Church, dating fom 1200 A.D. This classic piece of Norwegian church architecture was reconstructed here and it's absolutely stunning. With its many angled roofs and decorative dragons,it looks a little like a Chines temple from the side and inside and out, it's packed with interesting features Stave churches are a unique part of Norwegian culture and the chance of seeing one in Oslo is not to be missed.
Apart from the church my favourite reconstruction was that of a 19th century apartment block, of the type you see everywhere in the city. Downstairs were the usual exhibits and historical detail but on the first floor, two apartments on opposite sides of the landing have been fully furnished and decorated. One is done in 19th century style and one is completely contemporary. A nice little piece of social history and finished in very precise detail.
I loved the layout of the buildings, spread across large open spaces, patches of woodland and idyllic country gardens. If you don't have the chance to travel any further into the Norwegian countryside , then this is definitely a worthwhile substitute. We were lucky enough to visit on a gloriously sunny afternoon and it really is like being way out in the country
Worth noting for people with walking or breathing dificulties, is the fact that the 800m walk from the ferry terminal, is quite a steep uphill climb. A better alternative might be the number 30 bus which runs every 15 minutes from outside Oslo S and Nationaltheatret.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Museumsvn.10,N-0827 Oslo
Phone: +47 22 12 36 66
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Great layout, interesting exhibits, all helping you appreciate the ancinet way of life in these lands.
Most are self-explanatory, eg admiring the designs on objects, cabins, barns, etc.
Only thing is there is not enough information displayed in English :(
Written Mar 10, 2010
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The Norsk Folkemuseum displays daily life and living condtions in Norway from the 16th Century to the present. A wide array of historic and traditional Norweigan buildings and other Norweigan artifacts have found a home here in Bygdoy Penninsula at the Folk Museum. We were able to visit a Stave Church that is 800 years old. In 1153 it was a Catholic Church. Seeing a Stave Church was something I have wanted to do so I was ready for it on this tour. There are only 28 left in Norway, when at one time there were hundreds. Churches had to be tall, starting with a stone foundation, then logs, then staves. The Rhune alphabet was used in some churches. I can't imagine how cold it must have been for the people that attended church 800 years ago.
Updated Sep 1, 2009
Website: www.norskfolkemuseum.no
The Norwegian Folk Museum exhibitions provide colorful pictures of daily life and living conditions in Norway from 1500 and until the present day. The museum consists of an Open Air Museum, basically a recreated village (of particular interest is a stave church brought here from Gol in 1885). and many permanent and temporary exhibitions indoors in more modern buildings, medieval houses and pharmacy museum etc. The main building contains collections of everyday objects, silver, carpets, funiture etc, together with a Lapp Exhibition (costumes, tents and equipment for reindeer herding, hunting and fishing). In the same building is Ibsen's study from Oslo.
I have visited quite a few of the old time recreated life type places but this is by far the largest and the best of them. Highly recommended.
Written Nov 9, 2008
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The Norwegian Folk Museum exhibitions provide colorful pictures of daily life and living conditions in Norway from 1500 and until the present day. The museum consists of an Open Air Museum, basically a recreated village (of particular interest is a stave church brought here from Gol in 1885). and many permanent and temporary exhibitions indoors in more modern buildings, medieval houses and pharmacy museum etc. The main building contains collections of everyday objects, silver, carpets, funiture etc, together with a Lapp Exhibition (costumes, tents and equipment for reindeer herding, hunting and fishing). In the same building is Ibsen's study from Oslo.
I have visited quite a few of the old time recreated life type places but this is by far the largest and the best of them. Highly recommended.
Written Nov 9, 2008
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When you are near one of those Stave Churches, don't miss it because there's only very few left in the world! Norway has 28 remaining.
There is a Gol stave church at the top of the hill at the edge of this 35 acre park which has 150 reassembled historic buildings. This church is a must see and was built in 1212 in Hallingdal, one of the few remaining stave churches in the world. Stave churches have a different feel inside, with the thick sturdy dark wood and also shows the intermingling of Christianity and the Viking ideology. Sometimes, you will see some folkdancing in front of the church which is guarded by native Oslo-ans garbed in national costumes. At the time I visited, some schoolchildren were practicing dance and I have included a video here on VT.
entry 90 Kr, 70 Kr off-season (2008)
daily mid-May to mid-Sept 1000-1800, and off-season daily 100-1500
Updated Oct 27, 2008
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Norsk Folkemuseum is one of Europe's largest open air museums with more than 150 traditional buildings from all over Norway. During Summer season there are domestic animals living at the site to complete the picture of ancient rustic life. Lots of events take place in Summer, too: folk dancing and music, traditional arts, guided tours, etc. There also are indoor exhibits about Norwegian folk art and dresses, antique toys and Sami culture.
My personal high light and main reason to visit the museum is the Gol stave church! This beautiful early 13th century sacred building is almost completely made of wood! An extremely impressive work of art!
Free entry with Oslo Pass, special events for children, open all year
Written Aug 22, 2007
Address: Museumsveien 10, 0287 Oslo
Phone: (+47) 22 12 37 00
Website: www.norskfolkemuseum.no
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The Norsk Folkemuseum allows visitors to Norway to experience rural and ancient Norway without leaving modern Oslo. Once you pass through the Museum's gate, you can transport yourself back to a wide variety (153) of buildings moved here from all over Norway. Spread over a large area, each building's location is recreated: at the farm house, you are on a working farm with nothing else in sight; the "town" has shops and trade buildings (weavers, blacksmiths, etc.). As you enter the museum, you can learn what demonstrations are going on that day. We saw folk dancing and weaving.
The highlight for me was the Stave Church from Gol (224 kilometers northwest of Oslo) built c. 1200 and transported here more than 100 years ago. In the 10th through the 13th centuries, more than 800 Stavkirker were built using the materials at hand -- wood (no nails) covered in wood tar, resulting in their dark color. Now only about 30 remain. The Stavkirker were gabled fantasys with no windows and therefore little interior decoration. Their design incorporated the Viking symbol of might: dragons, combined with Christian imagery. The wooden roof shingles resemble fish scales. The West entry door was usually intricately carved with interlocking animals and foliage. In the Gol church, a painting of the Last Supper was added in the 17th Century. (See accompanying pictures and others in my travelogue.)
Together, the beautiful design and craftmanship of the 13th Century Gol Stave church and the 9th Century funerary ships at the adjacent Vikingskiphuset demonstrate the distinguished lineage of today's Scandinavian design.
On the day we visited, the Museum was not crowded; in the "rural" areas, you very much got a sense of the isolation the farmers experienced in their sod-covered houses. The "town" shops sell unique crafts -- great for gifts.
Folkemuseum admission included in the Oslo Card. The Vikingskiphuset is next door and it is easy to walk from one to the other.
Updated May 9, 2007
Address: Museumsveien 10 in Bygdoy
Phone: 22 12 37 00
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The Norsk Folkemuseum is an open air ethnographic museum where you can learn about Norwegian culture and history and, in particular, admire many old traditional wooden buildings from different regions as you walk the park's grounds.
There's something for everyone: schools, farms, banks, churches, corner shops and so on. The most important one is without doubt Gol Stave Church, a large wooden church dating back to the 13th century. In some of the buildings there are small exhibitions that change periodically; when I visited there was an excellent one about traditional Sami life.
The museum is open all year round and entrance is 70 NOK. The Grounds are open as such:
Sep 15 - May 14: 9am - 6pm
May 15 - Sep 14: 9am - 8pm.
Exhibitions close much earlier, in winter at 3 PM. I don't know about summer.
Updated Nov 14, 2006
Address: Museumsveien 10, Bygdøy
Phone: (+47) 22 12 37 00
Website: www.norskfolkemuseum.no/
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this outdoor museum has over 150 buildings on display from all over norway. the museum was established by hans aall in 1894. the recreated farms and villages show every day norwegian folk life. the folke museum is a short walk from the viking ship museum. also a worthwhile site to visit when in oslo.
Written Aug 20, 2006
Address: museumsveien 10
Phone: 22 12 37 00
Website: www.norskfolke.museum.no
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Norwegian Folk museum tips and photos posted by real travelers and Oslo locals.
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