Historisk Museum

Before we get to the Historisk Museum which is our main subject here, we must take a little stroll.  On the back of the Domus Media and after the line of trees that surrounds its northern side lies the building of the National Gallery of Oslo. The country’s largest collection of Norwegian and international art holds in its permanent collection about 4500 paintings, 900 sculptures, 17300 drawings , 25000 prints and 950 plaster casts by world renowned Norwegian artists such Edvard Munch as well as legendary foreign artists such as Pablo Picasso, Renoir, Monet and Vincent van Gogh.

The chronological color coded succession of rooms, the astounding works of the great masters and their perfect display in this 19th century building make this visit worth much more than a quick stop for a look at its two highlight paintings, The Scream  and the Madonna by Edvard Munch. The Gallery is currently closed to the public in order to facilitate the move to the new National Museum opening in 2022.

Right in front of the Old National Gallery is the Historical Museum of Oslo. The museum is divided into 5 sections. The Egyptian Mummies collection holds Norway’s oldest and largest collection of Egyptian artifacts while the Norwegian Antiquity exhibition is a chronological presentation of the Early Stone Age, Late Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Viking Age in Norway, in a period that spans over 10.000 years.

The exhibition in the Medieval Gallery displays medieval artifacts from south-eastern Norway, the Coin Cabinet holds an exhibition of coins, other money-related items, medals, decorations and medallions and finally the ethnographic exhibitions give the visitors insight into the lives of the indigenous populations of the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas, North and South America and Africa.