History Museums in Oslo

THE 10 BEST Oslo History Museums

History Museums in Oslo

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What travellers are saying

  • modernyatri
    Bengaluru, India27 contributions
    One of the best museums of specific interest. They have maintained the Fram so well and it is an experience to walk in, around and through this fantastic ship. Historical pictures were displayed all around and there were supporting shows to watch. A lot of Ealing involved.
    Written 9 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Nigel T
    Leicester, UK62 contributions
    One of the highlights of a recent visit to Oslo. If you want to see how people have lived over the centuries this is a great place to come. Loads to see, an excellent cafe and all reasonably priced. Once the new Viking Museum moves to the site this will be a very full day's visit but even more worthwhile. As a further bonus the boat trip across to Bydgoy and the local scenery are fabulous. Highly recommended.
    Written 13 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • modernyatri
    Bengaluru, India27 contributions
    Fascinating to see how they had preserved the ancient ships. The audiovisual room gave an amazing experience. Great thought has gone to showcase these ships and the ppl they represent.
    Written 9 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Joab D
    1 contribution
    This is a very special museum. Jan was an excellent guide and the museums follows a very interesting line of thought. It focus it’s mainly on the Bible history on Nordic countries and I liked it doesn’t impose any religious ideas. It states only historical facts and data. It’s surprising and sad that it’s not supported by any foundation which could mean it can end in its closing
    Written 3 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Barbara A
    Washington DC, DC88 contributions
    Also known as the Norwegian Resistance Museum, this was really worth the visit. Although we knew a fair amount about WWII, we didn't know much about the occupation of Norway from 1940-45, and this was really well done. Mostly static displays of documents, but translated into many languages. Virtually the whole country resisted the occupation as they could, and the impact of the exhibit was moving
    Written 9 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • colkop
    Liverpool, UK75 contributions
    It is important for everyone to be aware of the events of the 22nd July and to remember the innocent victims who lost their lives.
    The Information Centre ensures that we will not forget.
    The filmed interviews with the survivors brings home the terrible events of that day.
    The most moving section is to see the photographs of the victims and to be reminded of how young they were and the future that was snatched away from them.
    May they all rest in peace and may we all remember their sacrifice.
    Written 1 April 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Melissa B
    Saint Louis, MO397 contributions
    There was lots to look at in the museum and the boathouse across the path. Great for kids. If anything, this museum was not very exciting but it was something to do.

    It was nice to have a discount to see this museum when we bought Fram tickets. We probably would not have gone to this museum if we had not and it was nice to have another activity.
    Written 15 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Mark
    5 contributions
    We added this museum to out Fram ticket and so glad we did. Lovely little museum which brings an amazing story to life. I vaguely remembered this but was new to my son however we both really enjoyed it and one of the highlights of our trip,to Oslo.
    Written 29 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Michael S
    Mississauga, Canada35 contributions
    Great music museum where you can also live your inner rockstar. They have vocal recording booths, drum kits, guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards for you to play. You can dress up like a music star. So much fun!
    Written 5 September 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • 599Angela
    Toronto, Canada522 contributions
    On the Oslo pass. I did not get a very warm reception when I showed up, the person who gave me a ticket insisted I see the 1970s exhibit first before I had any other context. It was comprehensive and mostly in Norwegian, but watching excepts from 1970s Norwegian television in a mockup of a period living room was nicely bizarre.

    There was supposed to be a movie about Oslo's history but I never found it. They had galleries about the various incarnations of Oslo since the middle ages, but they were oddly laid out and there was no sense of flow. And the upper galleries had rooms and rooms of bric-a-brac about dance and theatre groups with very little English context, and stories about neighbourhoods.

    And finally there was a very thoughtful and comprehensive display of animal life in Oslo, both wild and domesticated, with paintings and artifacts.

    It was all a bit confusing. It really needs a curator who can unify and organize the huge collection of material.

    But top marks for collecting all of this in one place and attempting to make it available. The building itself is nice from the outside, although you can't enter the old parts.
    Written 25 August 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AdvisorKing
    Vancouver, B.C.154 contributions
    My wife and I visited the Historical museum while in Oslo for a four-day side-trip from Stockholm. We paid a total of 200 NOK. We arrived at about noon on a rainy Sunday. We probably went in with a bit of a sour attitude, as it was our fifth museum in a bit more than a week, and we had been hoping today would be a sunny, warmer day for more outdoorsy things.

    All that said, we were pleasantly surprised by the exhibits. Unlike all the other museums we visited, the Historical was a bit all over the place with its displays. Our self-guided tour started slowly as we weren’t captivated by the displays on the first floor. But the Egyptology exhibit was very good (arguably it is somewhat limited, but there are twice as many mummies on display at the Historical as there are at the Louvre in Paris). We also enjoyed the display relating to gold and gold coins. We lingered for some time in the Viking-era exhibit, and also enjoyed the Samurai display, even though it seemed less connected to any of the other exhibits.

    We did find that the security staff in some of the halls seemed to take their job a bit too seriously. At one point, an attendant jumped on a visitor for taking pictures of the gold medal display. For the next half hour, we were reluctant to take photos unless we saw other visitors taking pictures, because we were confused about what we were permitted to photograph and what we weren’t (there was no signage). In general, some of those staff seemed to be lurking, trying to catch someone in the act of something they weren’t actually doing. Later, we thought maybe the issue with the photography was that the person had used a flash with their photo. Again, there was no signage.

    In total, we stayed about an hour and a half, and the weather had improved a bit by the time we left.
    Written 9 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Norvaltravel
    London, UK56 contributions
    First of all the closing times on the visit Oslo website were incorrect. They close at 16:00 in the winter month. No audio to follow and very limited signage in English. We definitely wanted to understand and know more but couldn’t understand anything. Our visit was however saved by the wonderfully friendly Director who was giving a private tour to colleagues from Germany. She invited us along on the tour and took us down to the bunker. She gave us a guided tour in English which was absolutely heartfelt. We were a bit rushed as the centre was closing. Without the private bunker tour it wouldn’t have been value for money.

    The work they do there is important but they can do more to accommodate the international audience as all the signage is in Norwegian. We were provided with tablets but it wasn’t easy to follow and feel the real message wasn’t being conveyed as well as it could of.
    Written 30 November 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • siddella
    High Wycombe, UK27 contributions
    I came across this museum by chance while I was walking along the Akerselva river, it’s only open at weekends but is a small gem. Even though most of the written information is only available in Norwegian (there is a four page précis guide in English), the visual displays give a real sense of the industrial life of the Akerselva and a glimpse of the lives of the people who worked there. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable (embarrassingly so, as they knew much more than I did about the UK’s repeal of the Navigation Acts in 1849 and the impact that had on the Norwegian shipping industry!). There is also a gallery of excellent photographs of the Akerselva which happily does have captions in English.
    Written 18 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Maari100
    Helsinki, Finland3,025 contributions
    Besides the other library facilities. But only in Norwegian. On the first floor there is newspaper and magazine reading space and a small bookstore. On the second floor there is a Cafe you really need to visit, difficult to describe. The roof and wall paintings are really fantastic.
    Written 19 August 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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