Museums and galleries in Bergen

Museums and galleries in Bergen

1. See

   Alvøen

   An old and picturesque former industrial community on the west coast of the Bergen peninsula. The manor building at Alvøen has been converted into a museum with several exhibitions.

   for entrance to the main building: kr 50; students: kr. 25, children: free

2. See

   Bergen Maritime Museum

   Bergens Sjøfartsmuseum

   This traditional maritime museum is in the middle of the campus of the University of Bergen. Exhibitions of maritime history, shipping history, the Vikings, naval warfare, maritime archeology, and more.

   Daily 11:00-15:00, closed on holidays, Christmas eve, new year's eve and the 17th of May·kr 30; children and students free

3. See

   Bergen Museum – The Cultural History Collections

   Kulturhistorisk museum

   Bergen Museum is a part of the University of Bergen, and is in the heart of campus. It is divided in two collections, the Cultural History Collections and the Natural History Collections, located in two buildings. The Cultural History Collections include archeology, anthropology and art- and culture studies sections. Among other things, the museum has a large collection of Norwegian folk art and national costumes. It is notable for its unique exhibition of Norwegian medieval church art, including painted altarpieces, crucifixes and portals from demolished stave churches, all in wood.

   Tue–Fri 10:00–15:00, Sat Sun 11:00-16:00; 1 Jun–31 Aug: Tue–Fri 10:00–16:00, Sat Sun 11:00-16:00·Kr. 40; senior citizens: kr. 20, children under 16, students and University of Bergen staff: free. Ticket is also valid at the Natural History Collections

4. See

   Bergen Museum – The Natural History Collections

   Naturhistorisk museum

   The Natural History Collections include botany, geology and zoology. The zoology exhibitions is preserved more or less as they were when they were put up almost a hundred years ago. Enormous whale skeletons suspended from the ceiling in the exhibition halls are visible through the windows from the outside. The geology exhibition is modern and varied and contains samples from most parts of the world, in addition to a nice local collection. Around the museum is a garden which is at its finest in spring and summer. There is also a green house where you can enjoy tropical plants.

   Closed for renovation·Kr. 150. Senior citizens: kr. 110, children under 16, students: free. Ticket is also valid at the Cultural History Collections. Access to the garden and the green house is free of charge

5. See

   Bryggens Museum

   After the fire in 1955, when a lot of Bryggen burnt down, remains of the first settlement on Bryggen were discovered. The museum is built over these up to 900-year-old wooden building foundations, giving a unique insight in Bergen's architectural history. It contains the world's largest collection of medieval runic inscriptions, mostly inscribed on wooden items, but only a small number of these are on display. It also hosts themed exhibitions. If you are not a student, and would like to also visit the Hanseatic museum, it is cheaper to buy a ticket for the guided tour (and skip it if you want).

   1 Sept-14 May: Mon-Fri 11:00-15:00, Sat 12:00-15:00, Sun 12:00-16:00; 15 May-31 Aug: daily 10:00-16:00·adults kr. 170, students kr. 85, children (under 17) free, guided tour (includes ticket to Hanseatic Museum) kr. 120

6. See

   KODE Art museums

   Kunstmuseene

   One of the largest art museums in the Nordic countries, with art from the renaissance as well as contemporary art. The museum houses several of Edvard Munch's works.

   20 May–14 Sept: daily 11:00–17:00. 15 Sep–19 May: Tue–Sun 11:00–16:00, Sat Sun 11:00-17:00·Adult kr 130, student kr 60, child under 18 free

7. Eat

   Kafé Kippers

   The café serves a variety of meals, from sandwiches to dinners. The view is extraordinary. If you are lucky enough to catch a sunny day, you can observe a range of activities that happens in the bay. Indoors the café has a quiet atmosphere. There are large panorama windows facing the water giving you a romantic view even on rainy days. In connection with the restaurant, there is a changing art exhibition. Accessible with a wheelchair.

   Mon–Thu Sun 11:00–23:00, Fri Sat 11:00–00:00

8. See

   Siljustøl Museum

   The home of the composer Harald Sæverud, famous for late romantic and neo-classicist works now houses a museum with occasional concerts. The somewhat mystic park around the house is open for the public.

   Museum open 24 Jun-23 Sep: Sun 12:00-16:00·Museum admittance: Kr. 50; students: kr. 20, children: free

9. See

   St. Jørgen's Hospital

   The Leprosy Museum

   St. Jørgens Hospital is one of very few preserved leprosy hospitals from the 18th century in Northern Europe. The large wooden building in Kalfarveien 31 (Pleiestiftelsen for spedalske) was the largest institution caring for the many leprosy patients in Bergen. This was where Armauer Hansen discovered the bacteria that causes leprosy in 1873. Hansen's discovery was a major breakthrough in medicine as he proved that a chronic illness was contagious rather than hereditary. The Leprosy archive was a complete record of all patients and is assumed to be the first patient archive in the world. The Leprosy archive is inscribed on UNESCO list of Memory of the World. The Leprosy Museum tells the story about the disease and its history in Norway, in addition to showing life at the hospital. A visit to the museum is a unique but disturbing experience. The complex in Kong Oscars gate 59 also includes a wooden church.

   21 May–2 Sep: Daily 11:00-15:00·Kr 40; children kr 20

10. See

    The Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene

    The Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene are the only places on Bryggen where the original interior is preserved or restored. A tour of The Hanseatic Museum gives you a good introduction to the Hanseatic Bergen and the Hansa life, as you walk around an authentic Hanseatic merchant's house from the early 1700s. The building was in use until the late 19th century, when it was converted into a museum. In Schøtstuene, buildings from other parts of Bryggen are rebuilt to show where people ate, celebrated and held meetings. Neither the museum nor Schøtstuene is accessible for those using a wheelchair.

    The Hanseatic Museum: 15 May–15 Sep: daily 09:00-17:00. 16 Sep–14 May: Tue–Sat 11:00-14:00, Sun 11:00-18:00. Schøtstuene: 15 May–15 Sep: daily 10:00-17:00. 16 Sep–14 May: Sun 11:00–14:00·Adult kr 160, students kr 80, child free. Ticket is valid at the Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene for one day

11. See

    The Norwegian Knitting Industry Museum

    Norsk Trikotasjemuseum

    Located in the buildings that used to house the first fully mechanized knitwear factory in Norway. The machinery is still in working condition and is used. Guided tour, exhibitions and film.

    Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00 (June 1 - August 31); Tue-Fri 11:00-15:00 and Sun 12:00-16:00 (September 1 - May 31)·students: kr. 25, children: free

12. See

    The West Norway Museum of Decorative Art

    Permanenten

    A museum of design and decorative art. Norway's largest collection of Chinese art.

    Tue-Sun 12:00-16:00; 15 May–14 Sep: daily 11:00-17:00·Kr 60; students and seniors kr 40, children under 16 free

13. See

    Theta museum

    During the first half of World War II, the Theta group, formed by people between the ages of 19 and 22, established radio contact with London and reported movements of the German fleet in Norway. The group headquarters and radio station was located in the heart of occupied Bergen, but remained active for two years before it was discovered and raided by the Nazis. In the 1980s, the small room was reconstructed to its original state by orders of the Directorate of Cultural Heritage. It is now probably the country's smallest museum, displaying radio equipment and the Theta group's own security system. Not accessible with a wheelchair.

    Tue Sat Sun 14:00-16:00·Kr 20; child kr 5

14. See

    Troldhaugen

    Edvard Grieg's villa

    This is the house of the famous composer Edvard Grieg, who wrote the Peer Gynt suite and the Piano Concerto in A Minor and is Norway's national composer. His country house (just outside the town centre of Bergen) has been preserved in the state it was in when he died in 1907. You can also see his grave; he was buried on his own estate. There is a museum devoted to Grieg and his work, and a concert hall with daily concerts from 1 May - 11 Oct.

    May-Sep: daily 09:00-18:00; Oct-Dec: daily 10:00-16:00; 23 Dec-1 Jan: closed; 2 Jan-Apr: Daily 10:00-16:00·Kr. 130, students: kr. 65, children under 18: free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Bergen (CC BY-SA 4.0).