Oslo: Norsk Folkemuseum and the Rest of the Story

Friday, 15 July (Part IV)

After visiting two wonderful museums — the Frammuseet and the Vikingskiphuset — it was time to head back across the Oslo Harbor. The temperature was comfortable and the skies had cleared nicely (though it didn’t last long), so we decided to walk to the water taxi landing at nearby Dronningen.

We’d decided to skip the Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History) as the afternoon was growing late and we didn’t think we could do it justice. However, when we turned a corner and found ourselves face to face with the museum entrance, we decided to check it out anyway. The NOK100/person ($17) fee was a bit stiff for a quick look-see, but the empty courtyard gave every indication that we’d have the place to ourselves, so we paid up and went in.

Our decision turned out to be a mistake! Apparently many of the tour groups come in through a rear entrance. But that wasn’t the problem since the crowds were spread out pretty well, and they didn’t stay long. The problem was that there were too few docents in period costume providing interpretive information. No sooner would we enter one of the buildings that we’d be asked to leave because the docent had to lock up and go to another building where a tour group was awaiting attention. OK, the first time; OK the second time; but by the third time smoke was coming out of my ears.

So instead of touring the open air museum, which dates back to 1894 and which is home to over 150 buildings representative of the different regions of Norway, we left after a very short and disappointing experience.

This young woman was making some kind of flatbread; but it wasn’t free for the tasting.

The one silver lining of our visit to the museum: I got to see what I most wanted to see — the Gol Stave Church, which is the centerpiece of a group of buildings referred to as Oscar II’s Collection (became part of the museum in 1907). One of only 30 preserved churches of its kind in Norway, the Gol church was built in 1212. It remained in use until the 1870s when the congregation grew too big and a replacement church was built.

built in 1212, The Gol Stave Church was remodeled in 1664 and 1802.
[front view (left) and rear view (right)]

The church was purchased by the preservation society in 1881. Although King Oscar II offered to finance the relocation and rebuilding of the church, it was another three years before it could be disassembled, moved, and re-erected at his summer residence on Bygdøy.

Detail from the roofline of the church.

Detail from the interior of the church.

(More information about stave churches can be found here.)

After that detour, we continued our walk to the water taxi landing. Having just missed the taxi back to Rådhusbrygge, we had a bit of a wait, but the sun was out again so we didn’t mind it much. (Too bad the sun wasn’t out while we were photographing the stave church; blue skies would have added tremendously to the pictures we took.)

I’m not much into city streetscape photography, but as I wind up the story of our trip to Oslo, I’ll share a few from yesterday ...

The Slottet (Royal Palace) was built on the orders of King Karl Johan, but he died
before it was completed in 1848.

The fountain known as Christian IV’s Glove is located in Christiania Torv, the city’s
first market square. The glove points to where he wanted to rebuild the city after
the big fire in 1624.

… and a few more images from today.

The Nobel Peace Center is housed in Oslo’s old railway station.

Around the grounds of the Rådhuset (City Hall), which opened in 1950 to mark
the city’s 900th anniversary.

After returning from Bygdøy, we went to the hotel to drop off our camera bags. Since our time in Oslo was growing short, we didn't dally long, returning promptly to the waterfront to check out the outdoor eateries at Aker Brygge, the shipyard-turned-mall overlooking Oslo Harbor. Although it was drizzling off-and-on, and the early evening temps were more than chilly, we settled on a pizzeria named Olivia. The outdoor heaters had us quickly shedding our outer layers as we enjoyed dinner with people-watching for entertainment. We split an excellent seafood salad and a pizza topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, and artichokes, and washed it all down with a couple of ice cold local brews. Dessert was ice cream from the Movenpick stand across the pedestrian road from the restaurant.

Collage compiled from pictures from Olivia’s website, with a photo of Aker Brygge that
I took thrown in for fun (lower left). I thought I’d process it all in B&W, except for the
pizza, which really was very good.

After wandering around the waterfront for a bit, we returned to the hotel to finish packing our bags, making sure weight was allocated properly in preparation for tomorrow’s flights back home.

Oslo has a lot to offer that we haven’t even touched upon. We’ll return someday to not only check them out, but to also tour the coastal towns and fjords that I’m told are natural wonders not-to-be-missed. And we’ll be sure to plan our trip outside the summer months during which 60% of visitors come to enjoy Norway.

Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Finds

Friday, 15 July (Part III)

As noted in the background post, the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]) turned out to be a real gem. We’d added it to our list of must-sees with rather high expectations and it didn’t disappoint one bit. I’d gladly pay the price of admission again to spend more time exploring the chamber where the finds from the burial mounds are displayed. (Reminder about the museum link inserted above; remember to click the British flag for the translated version for each of the pages in the sidebar.)

Although Viking funeral rituals varied, the dead were often placed on a boat together with offerings, including slaves. The boat was then covered over with rocks and soil to create a tumulus. It was from such a mound that the centerpiece of the museum, the Oseberg Ship, was excavated in 1904.

Historic photos of the excavation Site show how amazingly well-preserved this find was.
(above and below)

The sleek lines of the 72-foot (22 m) long ship, constructed of oak timbers, was truly a sight to behold. Considering it was built around 820 AD and was buried for nearly 1100 years, it seemed amazingly fantastic to me that it was in such great shape; just look at the pre-restoration historic photos above. In reality, it was the blue clay in which it was buried that did such a good job of preserving the ship for posterity to enjoy.

I was so enthralled by the delicate carvings on the hull and so deep in thought trying to figure out how I was going to photograph the length of the ship that I almost didn’t notice the narrow corner balconies designed for just that purpose. From those vantage points, and by waiting for the lull between the waves of crowds coming in and out of the museum, I managed to get some reasonably good shots after I was finished studying the detail from the floor-level.

The ship was manned by a crew of 32 men, including the helmsman and the lookout.

Left: the Initial view of the Oseberg Ship hints at the beautiful carvings on the hull.
Right: the serpent’s head at the tip of the stempost was designed to frighten away sea monsters.

Such delicate details hint that the ship might have been built as a pleasure vessel to
sail coastal waters, but it was seaworthy nonetheless.

Serpent motifs on the hull; the Vikings were a superstitious lot.
(above and below)

Next was the Gokstad Ship, which was found in 1880. The longest of the three ships in the museum, it was built around 890 AD. It is believed to have been used to bury a chieftain who died ten years later. Any weapons that would have been buried with a man of the deceased’s stature were lost to grave robbers long before the ship was excavated.

32 shields, alternately painted black and gold, once decorated the exterior of the Gokstad ship.
It is thought that they were displayed only during battle or when approaching land
as they would have otherwise prevented the oars from being used.

With higher sides, and lacking the decorative carvings of the Oseberg Ship, this one definitely felt and looked like a seaworthy, ocean-going warship; or perhaps a trading vessel.

Note the oar holes lining the hull. these holes could be sealed by covers that
rotated in place to keep water out. It’s thought that the oarsmen used their
sea chests as rowing benches.

In the chamber where the last of the three ships is displayed, we found artifacts from the Gokstad Ship — namely, the timber burial chamber and the tent verge boards topped with animal heads — and two small boats that were also uncovered from the burial mound.

The rough construction of the burial chamber is an indication that it was not part of the
ship’s finely crafted original structure. The verge boards on the wall were once painted
black and gold; the same color as the shields that decorated the ship’s exterior.

The last ship we saw was the Tune Ship, which was actually the first ship to be excavated (1867). Highly deteriorated, the ship that dates back to 900 AD is exhibited as it was found. As was the case with the Gokstad Ship, the burial chamber contained the remains of a male assumed to be a chieftain.

The Tune Ship with the artifacts from the Gokstad Ship displayed at the rear of the chamber.

According to archaeologists, the Tune Ship was built in the style of the Oseberg Ship.
Hard to see any resemblance, isn’t it?

The real surprise at the Viking Ship Museum was the chamber housing beautifully carved burial furnishings found in the Oseberg mound. As the human remains found in the ship are those of a female and her slave, these artifacts are referred to as the Queen’s burial furnishings. There was a separate room that contained textiles that had survived over 1000 years of burial. Didn’t get to see them, however, as each time I attempted to go near the displays, I was kept away by the crush of visitors already in the room.

Photographing these treasures was made difficult by the lighting, as well as the fingerprints and glare on the glass cases in which they are displayed, but here are a few that turned out reasonably well.

This carved beech ceremonial wagon is the only one of its kind in Norway that dates
back to the Viking Age. It is estimated to have been made around 800 AD, well before it
was placed in the grave.

Detail from the richly ornamented Oseberg wagon.

Left: one of three sled runners; each 6.5 feet (2 m) long and carved from one piece of wood.
right: One of several animal head posts found in the burial mound.

Some of these animal head posts had a rope running through their mouth when they were
found. Their use is not known, but they may have been carried in religious processions.

Found in fragments, the sledge was reconstructed before being put on display.

That we enjoyed our visit to this museum goes without saying. On a scale of 1-5, it definitely gets a 5-star rating from us. There’s a surprising amount of information on the web about these ships. If you’re interested, just search on the name of each find.

As for us, it was time to head back to the water taxi stand and return to Oslo. Too bad we didn’t stick to that plan …

Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Vikings

Friday, 15 July (Part II)

Across the street from the Frammuseet is the Kon-Tiki Museum where Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa-wood raft of the same name and reed boat Ra II are displayed.  Though the museum was not on our list, we figured it’s proximity made it worth a quick look-see.  Didn't happen.  Seeing the packed-like-sardines conditions inside, we made an about face seconds after walking through the door.  So, we moved onto what was on our agenda instead.

Hopping on the #30 bus, we went to the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]).  The ride was short — would have been even shorter had we not gotten on the bus going in the opposite direction!  Oh well; we got a private tour of a small portion of Bygdøy before the bus dropped us off in front of the museum.

(A note about the website link inserted above: the list in the sidebar links to pages in Norwegian; click the British flag for the translated version.)

The parking lot was crammed with busses and cars, and it was quite crowded inside.  Watching the action from the balcony of the entrance hall, it looked like visitors came in waves and there were moments when one could see the ships without a crush of people around them.  So, we paid the NOK60 (~ $10/person) admission fee and waded in.  We’re so glad we did; the price of admission was absolutely worth the treasures we found inside.

The museum is home to three Viking ships and the artifacts found in the burial mounds for the same.  It wasn’t until the third ship — also the best-preserved — was excavated in 1904 that plans were made to build a special museum to display the finds.  Construction began in 1926 and was completed in 1957 with the addition of the last wing, giving the museum its current cross shape.  The Oseberg ship (photo to the right), which was the impetus for the museum, is prominently displayed in the center axis, giving visitors a first glimpse that can only be described as a jaw-dropper.

I’m going to break this post into two sections — this one to provide a little background on the Vikings; the next one to describe the museum visit itself.

The banners at the museum’s entrance provide brief information about the Viking Age, which lasted from 800 to 1050 AD, a period during which Norsemen were considered to be the lords of the seas.  Much of the information that follows is from those banners.

From Scandinavia, the Vikings sailed west over the North Sea to the British Isles
and thence over the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and North America.  Others sailed
south down the coast of Europe and entered the Mediterranean, and still others
sailed east down the great rivers of Russia to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
[photo from one of the banners]

The Vikings came from Scandinavia — from the countries that are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (below; center photo).  These countries show great variation in their landscape, climate, and agricultural conditions.  In good farming country, crops and animal husbandry were the main means of livelihood, while in other parts, people relied more on hunting and fishing, which were profitable activities.  Considerable quantities of iron were also produced in the Norwegian mountain hamlets, and found a market both at home and abroad.

The Vikings were excellent shipwrights and sailors.  Their ships were fast and well built, and suitable for long sea voyages.  This enabled them to make long journeys over most of the northern hemisphere.

Though Norsemen sacked and looted churches and monasteries and whole towns, plunder and conquest were not the only reasons why the Vikings took to the seas.  Many of them journeyed abroad in order to trade, and others to find a new country in which to settle.  As merchants, they sold their goods in towns and marketplaces, and established trading colonies in Ireland and Russia.  Many settled down as farmers in the lands they invaded.  They settled in Iceland and Greenland and were the first Europeans to reach North America.

The museum’s three Viking ships — from Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune — were all found in burial mounds in the Oslo Fjord area (right; top photo).  Excavated between 1867 and 1904, they were built during the 9th Century AD, and later used as burial ships for wealthy men and women.  In the Oseberg ship lay a woman and her slave girl, who had been buried in about 850 AD.  Each of the other two ships held a man; they were both buried in about 900 AD.

The dead were placed in a burial chamber which was erected in the stern of the ship (right; center photo).  They were buried with a good supply of food and drink, horses and dogs, and both useful and decorative objects.  When the three ships on display at the museum were excavated, the graves were found to have been robbed, and the jewelry, weapons, gold, and silver were gone.  The objects made of wood and cloth were left behind.   Because the ships had been buried in blue clay and covered with stones, clay, and turf, these items were well-preserved.

(Click either of the photo strips and select XL from the size options at the top to see the details.  The images were photographed from the banners in the entrance hall.)

And so, armed with some background information, let’s visit the museum …

Oslo: Frammuseet

Friday, 15 July

"Victory awaits him, who has everything in order – luck we call it. Defeat is definitely due for him, who has neglected to take the necessary precautions – bad luck we call it."

Roald Amundsen

It’s a good thing that our plans jiggled yesterday and we did outdoor activities then instead of leaving them for today. We woke up a 180° change in the weather. Gone were the blue skies, sunshine, and warm temperature. Instead, we had a day that was reminiscent of our days in the Arctic — overcast. It wasn’t as cold as the Arctic, but the 55F (13C) was decidedly cooler than yesterday’s temps. The good news is that we did get sunshine breaking through during the day, and the drizzle was an off and on thing and fell mostly while we were indoors.

The three places we visited today are all on Bygdøy.

We left the hotel at 8:00a and made our way to the Rådhusbrygge (City Hall Wharf) to catch the first water taxi (8:45a) to Bygdøy (meaning “inhabited island”), a peninsula on the west side of Oslo. Our destination was the Frammuseet (Fram Museum). We had a feeling it would be crowded, so we wanted to get there when the doors opened at 9:00a. It was a strategy that worked in our favor. We had the museum to ourselves for the first hour; by 10:00a it was quite congested with tour groups arriving in droves.

The water taxi is a convenient means of travel between downtown Oslo and Bygdøy.

On the near empty water taxi, even our backpacks have seats of their own.

With a Costa cruise ship in town, Oslo is going to be even more crowded today.

The ride across the bay was short. Even with the dull light, the scenery was beautiful; moody would be a better description perhaps. Before long, we were approaching the small pier at the museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of Norwegian polar exploration. Named for the Fram, the purpose-built polar exploration ship that is the centerpiece of the museum, it was inaugurated in 1936.

I’m told that the shape of the museum has its origins in Viking times when old ships were
buried in triangular mounds.

The first thing we saw when we arrived at the museum was the Gjøa, another polar ship of note. The sloop was built in Norway in 1872. Named for the owner’s wife, it served as a fishing vessel until Amundsen purchased it in 1900 and converted it to a ship suitable for polar exploration. Three years later, with a crew of six, Amundsen embarked on what turned out to be the first successful transit of the much sought-after Northwest Passage. It took the men three years to complete the historic journey aboard the Gjøa. Three years after that (1909), the ship was placed in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It remained there until 1972, at which time it was returned to Norway. (Plans are underway to build an extension to the Frammuseet to house the Gjøa.)

Gjøa — from fishing vessel to polar exploration ship.

Christened in 1892, the Fram (meaning “forward”) was the first polar research vessel to be built in Norway. It was constructed to the exacting specifications of Fridtjof Nansen, a favorite son of Norway who made polar exploration history before Amundsen. The 128-foot (39 m) long vessel is best known for three expeditions written in the annals of polar history: with Nansen on a drift over the Arctic Ocean (1893-1896); with Otto Sverdrup to the arctic archipelago west of Greenland (1898-1902); and with Roald Amundsen to Antarctica for his South Pole expedition (1910-1912).

Standing next to the hull of the Fram, Nansen welcomes visitors to the museum and his ship.

I have to admit to a tingle that ran up my spine when I entered the museum and first set my eyes on the vessel. I was about to actually set foot aboard the ship that I had read so much about. Admittedly, the restored ship didn’t look exactly like the original from the outside, but the interior was all original, and I felt like I was walking with ghosts as I freely wandered above- and below-decks. Later, when we discussed our visit, Mui said he had a similar reaction.

Left: The first Fram Expedition (Nansen); Right: the third Fram Expedition (Amundsen).

Models of the Fram as she was during the first (left) and the third (right) expeditions.

The Fram — as it is today.
the ship was specifically designed to withstand the pressure of pack ice.

There’s reams of information to share about this historic vessel. I’ve put some links throughout this post for those interested in more information. In the meantime, here’s a quick tour of the ship through our eyes. In the cramped quarters below-decks, we were especially glad to have the ship to ourselves. Later, after the museum became more crowded, a second run-through of the ship proved quite frustrating.

First, above-decks …

Then, below-decks …

The officers’ cabins are used to display artifacts from the polar expeditions.

The diesel engine was added to the Fram by Amundsen in 1910.

After touring the ship, we spent a couple of hours browsing the exhibits on the balconies lining the four sides of the multi-story building. Taking pictures of the artifacts behind glass was challenging, so I took a few and then put the camera away to enjoy the displays.

Artifacts on display included those from Fram and other expeditions by sea and by air.

One entire floor of the museum was dedicated to a special exhibit entitled Cold Recall – Reflections of a Polar Explorer. The displays consisted of images made from the lantern slides Amundsen used in public lectures following his achievement of the South Pole. The words accompanying the images were abridged versions of his manuscript for the lectures. I haven’t bought much on this trip, but I simply couldn’t leave the museum without a copy of the published version of Cold Recall; I’m looking forward to reading it on the flight back to the US tomorrow.

Top Left (Top): fram and Robert Scott’s Terra nova in the Bay of Whales.
top Left (bottom): emperor penguins on the barrier.
Top right: ready for the start of the polar journey on 20 October 2011.
Bottom Left: Amundsen, Hassel, Hanssen & Wisting at Polheim (Pole Home) at the South Pole.
(photo taken by Bjaaland, the other member of the pole party.)
bottom right (top): hoisting the flag at Ernest shackleton’s furthest south.
bottom right (Bottom): Depot at 80° south on 23 October 1911.

Note: Here’s how the Library of Congress describes lantern slides: “The introduction of lantern slides in 1849, ten years after the invention of photography, allowed photographs to be viewed in an entirely new format. As a transparent slide projected onto a surface, the photograph could be seen, not only by individuals and small groups, but also by a substantial audience. This new larger scale expanded the utility of photography, changing it from an intimate medium to one that was appropriate to entertainment and educational purposes.”

I have to say that this was one place from which we found it particularly difficult to pull ourselves away. It is a “must-do” for anyone who has an interest in polar exploration history. We could have easily spent the entire day there. Two things helped us to move on: the crowds that started showing up around 10:00a; and the next must-see destination that was on our list for the day. But that’s for the next post.

Shortly after noon, we left the Fram Museum, wandered over to the open space behind the building, and had a quick al fresco lunch with the PB&J sandwiches and grapes we’d brought with us. Oh, and a chocolate bar too! The weather was still so-so, but at least it wasn’t drizzling. And we had good company, even though we refused to share but a few crumbs of our meager lunch with them.

A quick break for lunch before we continue onto another museum.

The black-headed gulls were quiet, but the sparrows were quite vociferous about wanting to share our lunch; they had to make do with whatever crumbs fell to the ground.

Onto the next museum …