Norsk Folkesmuseum (Norwegian Folk Museum)

Frommer's Review

Take a tour of Norway in just 1 day. From all over the country, museum curators moved 155 buildings from their original site and, with great difficulty, transported and reassembled them on 14 hectares (35 acres) on the Bygdøy peninsula. Among the old buildings is the Gol Stave Church, moved here a century ago. Dating from 1200 -- still with no windows -- it came from the town of Gol, 224 kilometers (139 miles) northwest of Oslo. One of the oldest such museums in the world, the Folk Museum contains many buildings from the medieval era, including the Raulandstua, one of the oldest wooden dwellings still standing in Norway. Wander the streets of Gamblebyen or Old Town, a reproduction of an early 20th-century Norwegian town. The rural buildings are grouped together by region of origin, and the urban houses are laid out in the form of an old town.

Then the curators decided to make this open-air folk museum a living, breathing entity. They feature a variety of activities, including horse-and-buggy rides, folk music, dancing by men and women in native dress, traditional arts and crafts, and even "Norwegian evenings," a summer food tasting of regional specialties and folk dancing. Artisans demonstrate age-old crafts such as pottery, weaving, silversmithing, and the making of candles, which you can purchase in their workshops. At the Christmas fair, some 120 old-fashioned stands also sell handmade products.

Inside, the museum's 225,000 exhibits capture every imaginable facet of Norwegian life, past and present. Furniture, household utensils, clothing, woven fabrics, and tapestries are on display, along with fine examples of Norwegian rose-painting and woodcarving. Farming implements and logging gear pay tribute to the development of agriculture and forestry. Also look for the outstanding exhibit on Norway's Sami population. You can easily spend 3 hours here.

After the millennium, the museum incorporated the Bygdo Royal Farm, with its cultivated fields and grazing lands offering hikes along the trails.

In all, the museum is a living textbook of Norwegian culture that is not to be missed.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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