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By sea

The exhibition "By sea" showcases our open traditional boat collection and archaeological wrecks and findings from Oslo in the 1500s and 1600s. The exhibition is located in the Boat Hall, the iconic building of the Norwegian Maritime Museum from 1958.

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The exhibition focuses on the interaction between humans and the sea, emphasizing nature, resources, technology, and imagination. Drawing from the museum's rich boat collection, the museum looks back while also posing questions and highlighting upcoming challenges in the management of fish, climate, oceans, environment, and pollution.

On the ground floor, the exhibition showcases the life of the Norwegian coastal population in the 1800s. On the mezzanines, we present an archaeological exhibition about ships and maritime activities in the Oslo harbor in the 1600s, featuring boat findings and other artifacts from the major excavations that have taken place in Bjørvika in Oslo over the past decade.

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    Over 1000 chalk pipes were found gathered in this way in the clay where Barcode stands today. Beate Kjørslevik

The Boat Collection

At the heart of the exhibition are 13 traditional boats from the 19th century. The museums boat collection is Norway's most important nationwide collection of open traditional boats.  The focus of the collection dates from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The entire coast is represented, so the main division between the building styles in Eastern, Western, and Northern Norway is clear. The core of the collection was acquired by Bernhard Færøyvik.

Various uses and local adaptations have manifested themselves in building styles as a variety of boatbuilding traditions or dialects. The collection possesses strong aesthetic qualities, and the boats are magnificent examples of craftsmanship traditions. 

The Boat hall at Bygdøynes

The Boat hall was the Norwegian Maritime Museum's first building and exhibition hall at Bygdøynes. In 1958, it opened with traditional boats from all over the coast and exhibitions on Norwegian shipping during the sailing ship era.

The boat hall and the museum's main building were designed by Trond Eliassen & Birger Lambertz-Nilssen. The hall repeats the Fram Museum's (1936) boat shape, but on a smaller scale. The hall has approx. 736 m2 exhibition area on the ground floor and 150 m2 on the mezzanine.

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    Båthallen på Bygdøy åpnet i 1958 og er tegnet av arkitektene Trond Eliassen & Birger Lambertz-Nilssen. Beate Kjørslevik

See here for what you can expect

Join us as we step in to KLINK boat builder work shop and the Boat Hall

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Museum24:Portal - 2024.11.2 5
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