Viking Ship Museum

Oslo, Norway

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. Its most famous ship is the completely whole Oseberg ship.

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.

References:

Comments

Your name


The Viking Ship Museum is an amazing place to visit! As soon as you open the door you see the beautiful Oseberg ship which only begins to show the unbelievable craftsmanship of the Vikings. I visited Norway with a friend and it was the very first thing that I wanted to see and it was worth it!!


Address

Langviksveien 5, Oslo, Norway
See all sites in Oslo

Details

Founded: 1926
Category: Museums in Norway

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Megan M (2 years ago)
Wow, this museum was awe-inspiring! The building itself is not very large, but the artifacts inside really do a great job of using the available space. The Viking ships themselves have been preserved very well. The other artifacts expand on the historical knowledge and understanding of the time. The Viking Ship Museum is a must see if you are in the area!
PANAGIOTIS XOURIS (2 years ago)
Great place with tons of history on display. Great findings from an era long gone. Ferry ride is lively also. You’ll need a bit more than an hour to wonder around. One of the most interesting things to do while in Oslo.
Nectaria Karakatsani (2 years ago)
Small but really interesting museum if you have a thing with Viking history. Seeing the Viking ships is overwhelming and the good part is that you are allowed to take pictures. Detailed info is offered in Norwegian, English and German. Short but very artistic movie about Viking ships is on, every half an hour or so.
Lala (2 years ago)
To tell the truth, I expected more from the site. I thought that the museum would be bigger and that they would have more typical and autochthonous things from the Viking age, but still, I liked it. The boats amaze a bit. They are beautiful.
Florenz (3 years ago)
Amazing historical place with original boat! Great place to visit - 2019
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.