Rockheim

Rockheim opened in 2010 in a former grain warehouse on the Trondheim docks, with a cantilevered upper box clad in glass printed with album covers and lit at night by thousands of LEDs, 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 grew up in Norway in the early 1990s, treated as history rather than celebration.

History

The idea for the museum goes back to 1998; the Ministry of Culture began planning eight years later, and in 2007 Bratterøkaia AS won the commission. Opening was delayed from 2009 by a contractor's bankruptcy and a fire, and Rockheim officially opened on 5 August 2010 in a grain warehouse of 1919, crowned with a new glass box lit by 13,000 LEDs (Wikipedia, Rockheim).

The main sights

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts