The construction of the Viking Age Museum begins now
Tuesday February 14th, the construction of the Viking Age Museum began with the first cut of soil. Thus, one of Norway’s most significant culture and museum project in recent time has come one step closer to reality.
It was Norway’s research and education minister, Ola Borten Moe, who officially cut the first piece of soil on Bygdøy in Oslo, and thus sat the construction of Norway’s new Viking Age Museum in motion.
The Viking Age Museum contains the world’s most valuable collection from the Viking Age, including the world’s oldest and best-preserved Viking ships and 800 unique objects from the period. Since Autumn, the project team has worked intensively on planning the construction start and thus ensure the preservation of the Viking ships and the rest of the collection.
The upcoming extension and renovation of the Viking Age Museum will create better conditions for the exhibitions and a safe environment for the preservation of the unique collection, while also contributing to elevating the museum to a leading international knowledge centre for the dissemination of the Viking Age.
Also present at the celebration was the Chief Developer Marius Tunstad from Statsbygg, Museum Director Håkon Glørstad from the Museum of Cultural History Oslo, Rector Svein Stølen from University of Oslo, CEO Birger Kristiansen from AF Byggfornyelse as well as AART’s Associated Partner and Project Manager at the Viking Age Museum, Thomas Pedersen.
The Viking Age Museum is the result of an open, international competition which AART won in 2016. The project is developed for Statsbygg and Kunnskabsdepartdementet, together with the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo – in collaboration with AF Gruppen and Multiconsult. The museum which opens in 2026 is expected to receive up to 1 million visitors annually.
