Historisk museum

The Historisk museum in Oslo belongs to the University of Oslo and has welcomed the public since 1904. It holds Norway's largest collection of historical and ethnographic artefacts, with objects and stories stretching from the Stone Age to modern times. The building is one of the few in the city built in the art nouveau style. Architect Henrik Bull designed several versions of a monogram for it. Some are mosaics, some are painted, and some hang gilded in the chandeliers.

Inside, the exhibitions trace Norwegian history from the Stone Age through the Viking Age into the Middle Ages. The show called Víkingr holds one of the two best-preserved Viking helmets in the world. Ethnographic collections carry objects from cultures far beyond Norway, and the family exhibition Miðgarðr opens the stories and legends of Viking mythology. The serpent head from the Oseberg ship, long kept in storage because it is so delicate, is on display in the original. Coins, medieval stories and sacred objects fill other galleries. The Snartemo sword, sometimes called the treasure the Nazis were denied, has a room of its own. Three of the university's cultural historical museums merged in the early 2000s, which is why so many collections share one roof.

Guided tours and themed visits run through the year. Family activities let children work with real historical sources and learn by doing. The design studio Bleed shaped the visual identity around bright colours and modern typography, with the traditional monogram at its centre. Renovations have brought the interior closer to its original look, and the shop stocks Viking-inspired jewellery beside books and toys. The decorations around the entrance repay a slow look before you step inside.