About the construction project

The new Museum of the Viking Age will be three times the size of the former Viking Ship Museum. Covering a total area of approximately 13,000 m², the new museum will offer around 9,000 m² of public space, including 5,500 m² of exhibition galleries.

The new museum is being built as an extension of the former Viking Ship Museum, with a glass connecting structure bringing the old and new buildings together. This is not only an elegant architectural solution, but also enhances the overall museum experience. Visitors will encounter a world of contrasts as they move from the daylight outside into another world: a late-summer afternoon in Oseberg in the year 834.

In addition to tripling the exhibition space, the new museum complex will include a restaurant, lecture hall, museum shop, museum park, a dedicated area for visiting school groups, a publicly accessible laboratory, and a research centre.

The museum’s conservation and collections management specialists have worked with Statsbygg, the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property, on a dedicated safeguarding project. Together, they have developed solutions for the safe handling of the ships and artefacts during construction, as well as secure methods for moving them into the new building once it is complete.

The new climate-controlled building, equipped with new support systems, will safeguard these unique ships and artefacts for future generations.

• Frequently asked questions about the Museum of the Viking Age and the construction project
• Read more about the construction project at Statsbygg

Construction timeline