Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

 On May 23rd, our group got the pleasure to visit the Norwegian Folk Museum! 

This is one of Norway's open-air museums that houses some of the oldest buildings that the country has to offer. The tour started with a short walk to a small setup of what an ancient Norwegian farm settlement would have looked like, which included two families' homes, a storage building, and several animal houses. I found it very interesting that these buildings were actually moved piece by piece from other parts of Norway so the museum could actually have authentic buildings on-site. I also enjoyed studying the architecture of these buildings and how the farmers used the architectural features to their advantage to use their resources efficiently, such as the use of small doorways to conserve heat. 

After the small tour around the farm settlement, we took a short hike up a hill towards the Stave Church, which can be pictured above. Even though this building was partially rebuilt due to the Norwegian Museum's feelings that the church didn't look "medieval" enough, the inside of the church was left mostly untouched when it was moved onto museum property. Inside, there were depictions of bible parables behind the stage where the priest would have stood, but what I found interesting was that some of the citizens who were weary to give up their own religion to adopt Christianity hid depictions of their religion in the Christian images painted on the walls of the church. 

After we visited the Stave Museum, we were able to walk through the museum apartments, which showcased the average Norwegian apartment throughout the ages. As you went up in levels, each room showed a new time period with matching furniture and clothing. I also included a poem that was posted in the art portion of this building that I thought spoke so true to how the changing of time periods still didn't take away from how each room depicted a home where the Norwegian people lived; these weren't just exhibits but ways of life for the people who lived them. 

After the museum, we had free time to explore the city, so a few of us went to go visit the Norweigan Palace and its grounds. Here, we were able to learn more about the Norwegian monarchy and see important pieces of artwork that local children designed for the princess of the time. Overall, today was very informative for learning more about Norwegian culture in the past and present times.