Imagine you are in Oslo, Norway. You are curious about Scandinavian culture and habits; you would like to know their traditions, history, and passions. You’ve visited landmarks, took long walks around the city, eat traditional food, enjoyed markets and architecture. It is time to choose between the many museums to complete your tour. When it comes to museums, Oslo will surprise you. Of course, there are art museums, history museums, and natural history museums. But in Oslo, you’ll find several museums you have never think of. Here’s a list for those travellers who want something really different.
The Kon-Tiki Museum
Thor Heyerdahl (1914 – 2002), a brave Norwegian, was sure that people from South America first visited Polynesian Islands before Christopher Columbus arrival in America. He thought that these people arrived by raft, helped by the Pacific Ocean’s currents. To prove his theory, in 1947, Thor Heyerdahl left on a journey from South America to Polynesian Islands. He used a raft called Kon-Tiki. All the equipment and the navigation methods were those used in the XVth century. The journey of Kon-Tiki lasted 101 days. Thor Heyerdahl and his five companions floated for over 6, 900 km before reaching their destination. This expedition made Thor Heyerdahl famous. His book about the journey was a huge success. Other expeditions followed Kon-Tiki. In the museum dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl, you can find original ships and personal objects from all his adventures: Kon-Tiki, Ra, Tigris, Easter Island, Fatu-Hiva, Tùcume, Galapagos, and others. The museum includes a library with Thor Heyerdahl’s books and a cinema where you can watch Kon-Tiki documentary from 1950.
International Museum of Children’s Art
In Oslo, an entire museum is dedicated to children’s art. The children are not famous artists, just regular children, from 180 countries, all over the world. In the International Museum of Children’s Art are textiles, paintings, sculptures, and more, all made by children. The museum is the first of its kind and was founded in 1986 by Rafael and Alla Goldin. The aim of this museum is to preserve the culture of children, for history and study.
The Viking Ship Museum
If you have never seen a Viking ship, a trip to Oslo is the perfect time to change that. In The Viking Ship Museum, you’ll find the best preserved Viking ships. The most famous is the Gokstad, Tune, and Oseberg ships, discovered at the end of XIXth century. A lot of other related objects are exhibit here. The museum is a perfect introduction to the world of Vikings. At the museum, there are a lot of ongoing workshops – from sailing trips to lectures, from rope making to storytelling, from boat building to a “how to forge red-hot iron” class. It is impossible to get bored at the Viking Ship Museum.
The Vigeland Museum
Big and glamorous art museums are often tiring and overwhelming. Besides, going through the entire art history of people is hard to remember, especially if you are not an art expert. Smaller museums are a great way to discover a local artist, his life, and legacy. Furthermore, if the museum is hosted in the artist’s home, you have a rare occasion of exploring the intimate space of creation. The Vigeland Museum is a sculpture museum, situated in the artist’s studio and home. Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) is one of the most popular Norwegian sculptors. His works can be seen in Oslo’s parks. Vigeland Installation from Frogner Park is the most famous of them. At the museum, you can see early works, portraits, and models for larger sculptures. His life and work are sometimes controversial as some people see an influence of Nazi art in his works. Find out for yourself if it is true or not, by visiting The Vigeland Museum.
Are you a pop music fan? Well, if the answer is yes, Oslo is the place for you. The history of Norwegian pop music from 1904 until present day is the subject of Popsenteret. Organized as a museum and activity center, Popsenteret has permanent and temporary exhibitions and a lot of fun stuff to do. Record a melody, dress like a pop star or mix your song, everything can be done at Popsenteret, using state-of-the-art audio and video technology. Popsenteret is a place for music lovers.
Oslo is a very interesting destination. It is hard to know, but very easy to love. These museums are just the beginning!
About the Author: This article was written by Monica Radulescu, savvy travel blogger at asabbatical.com , a personal travel blog of Adrian Sameli. To connect with Monica, follow her on Facebook.