Viking Ship Museum in Oslo

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Description

The Viking Ship Museum is located at Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, and houses archaeological finds from Tune, Gokstad (Sandefjord), Oseberg (Tønsberg) and the Borre mound cemetery.

Attractions

The main attractions at the Viking Ship Museum are the Oseberg ship, Gokstad ship and Tune ship. Additionally, the Viking Age display includes sledges, beds, a horse cart, wood carving, tent components, buckets and other grave goods. Many fully or nearly fully intact Viking ships are on display. The museum is most famous for the completely whole Oseberg ship, excavated from the largest known ship burial in the world.

History

In 1913, Swedish professor Gabriel Gustafson proposed a specific building to house Viking Age finds that were discovered at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The Gokstad and Oseberg ships had been stored in temporary shelters at the University of Oslo. An architectural contest was held, and Arnstein Arneberg won.

The hall for the Oseberg ship was built with funding from the Parliament of Norway, and the ship was moved from the University shelters in 1926. The halls for the ships from Gokstad and Tune were completed in 1932. Building of the last hall was delayed, partly due to the Second World War, and this hall was completed in 1957. It houses most of the other finds, mostly from Oseberg.

Moving the ships

On 20 December 2000 the University of Oslo supported a proposal by the Historical Museum to move the ships and all the grave goods to a proposed new museum in Bjørvika, Oslo. There has been much debate about this suggestion, both in the museum and archaeological community as well as in the media. Opponents to the move have raised concerns that the ships are too fragile and that they will not survive the move undamaged, while proponents claim that it is far more risky to leave the ships in their current location due to the hazards of fire and overcrowding. A risk assessment has been carried out on one side of the Oseberg ship, suggesting a move could go ahead without inflicting serious damage to the finds.

New building at Bygdøy

In 2015 the Ministry let Statsbygg go-ahead and announce a competition for the expansion of existing facilities at Bygdøy. The winner of the architectural competition was released the 12 April 2016, and it was the Danish firm AART architects with their proposal "NAUST".

Street view

Reviews

12.10.2021 Alex
A wonderful Museum with wonderful exhibits. You can make a great photo on the background drukarov Vikings.
12.10.2021 Konstantin
Very interesting exhibits especially for those who love history and especially the history of the Vikings. Unfortunately, the Museum just three ships and several exhibits. If you plan to visit several museums and an active movement by public transport, I recommend to buy a tourist pass for one or two days. The price of the ticket to this Museum includes a visit to the historical Museum in the city centre.
If you come to the Peninsula by ship, then once on the pier buy a return ticket on the bus or the ferry, because on the spot ticket will cost much more.
12.10.2021 Janel
I honestly thought it would be bigger than it was but nonetheless I had a good visit. Wish they would have had audio guides instead of a qr scan and go setup but I suppose it helps keep prices down. Really impressive displays and friendly enough staff. Enjoyed that they allowed photography inside. Located on the beautiful little peninsula where other museums like the folk museum are located.
12.10.2021 Somsubhra
Small but very informative museum. It's amazing to see how sea-faring these shops must have been, carrying a crew of 30 or so, before they were used as burial monuments. Best combined with the other maritime museums in the area.
12.10.2021 JK
Small museum that contains exhibits of several Vikings boats, and some of their daily accessories. Not much on the history of their conquests. There should be better museums around.
12.10.2021 Matthew
It was pretty cool. The old ships were neat, but I probably wouldn't go again. The distance and price were prohibative.
12.10.2021 Kory
Some really interesting and old viking ships. A really nice museum and well worth it - especially if you have the OsloTrip.
12.10.2021 Andrey
You will find a fascinating journey in the Viking age. And their main "secret" of swimming facilities the time is at hand.
12.10.2021 Jorden
Really cool museum filled with interesting pieces, including restored viking ships! There are some high viewing areas so you can see inside the ships. There is a really nice projected visualisation with one of the ships that depicts the history without using words, it's extremely beautiful. Student discount for any European student holding valid student ID. Well worth a visit but don't expect your visit to last much longer than an hour or two as there is not a huge amount to see, but you really should go you'll have a great time.
12.10.2021 Owain
An amazing museum not the biggest but very well done. A must see in my opinion. I loved it and spent a good few hours marvelling at the craftsmanship of the vikings. Go there,do it, you won't be disappointed. The gift shop is reasonable too.
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