Rockheim

Rockheim opened in 2010 in a former grain warehouse on the Trondheim docks, with a cantilevered upper box clad in a perforated screen that displays images at night, and it covers Norwegian popular music from the 1950s onward: rock, pop, jazz-influenced acts, black metal, hip-hop and electronic music. The approach is interactive rather than display-case: visitors mix tracks, play instruments, sing in booths, work a drum machine and move through decade rooms recreating a 1970s bedroom, a rehearsal space and a club. The black metal section covers a movement that came from this region and drew international attention for church burnings in the early 1990s, treated as history rather than celebration.

What you actually see

• The decade rooms - recreated spaces from the 1950s to the present.
• The interactive stations - mixing desks, instruments and singing booths.
• The black metal section - the Norwegian scene and its controversies.
• The waterfront building - a converted warehouse with a projecting lit box.

When to go

Year-round; the museum is indoors and suits a wet Trondheim day. It closes on Mondays outside summer, and school holidays bring families to the interactive areas.

Honest expectations

The content is almost entirely Norwegian, so visitors without knowledge of the artists get less from it. The interactive stations are aimed partly at children and can be busy. Ticket prices are on the high side.

Nearby

The Trondheim waterfront and central station are alongside; Bakklandet and Nidaros Cathedral are a short walk.