Fram Museum

The Fram Museum is built around a single object: the polar exploration ship Fram, the strongest wooden ship ever built, which carried Nansen toward the North Pole and Amundsen to the South. Preserved whole indoors, you can walk her decks and go below, surrounded by the story of Norway's heroic age of polar exploration.

Background

The museum opened on 20 May 1936 and covers Norwegian polar exploration, with particular attention to three explorers: Roald Amundsen, Fridtjof Nansen and Otto Sverdrup. Fram was designed and built by the Scots-Norwegian shipbuilder Colin Archer to specifications set by Nansen, who paid for it in 1891 with a mix of public grant money and private funds. The ship's original interior survives intact. Under an agreement signed in May 2009 with the Norwegian Maritime Museum, the museum also shows Gjøa, the first vessel to sail through the Northwest Passage, a three-year voyage that Amundsen and a crew of six completed in 1906. Gjøa has a building of its own and has been fully open to visitors since 2017.

Source: Wikipedia, "Fram Museum"

What you'll find

• The Fram herself - the whole polar ship, boardable from deck to hold.
• Amundsen and Nansen - the tale of the race to the poles.
• Polar equipment - the sledges, kit and diaries of the expeditions.
• The polar simulator - the cold room recreating the Arctic experience.

When to go

Year-round; a fully indoor museum, ideal for any weather and a natural pairing with the neighbouring museums. Allow time to explore the ship inside and out.

Good to know

It is a focused, ship-centred museum, so appeal follows your interest in polar history, though the vessel itself impresses everyone. It is out on Bygdoy, a short trip from central Oslo. It pairs naturally with the Kon-Tiki museum next door.

Nearby

The Kon-Tiki and Viking Age museums are alongside on Bygdoy; central Oslo is a short ride.

Key facts