A little more than a year ago, the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin the construction project took place. The new building is under construction at the site of the former Viking Ship Museum. Today the museum reached a milestone when H.R.H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit laid the foundation stone in a solemn ceremony.
– This is a special day! Not only for those of us standing here today, but for Norway as a whole. In a few years, this building will house the world's most complete collection from the Viking Age, with thousands of archaeological artifacts collected from large parts of the country. This is a museum for all of Norway, but not only for Norway, as we guard this cultural heritage on behalf of generations before us and generations to come – from all over the world. We do this with gratitude, humility, and knowledge, said Museum Director Aud V. Tønnessen in her speech.
Iconic cultural heritage
The Viking ships are Norway's most iconic cultural heritage. They are carefully managed by the Museum of Cultural History, which the former Viking Ship Museum and the upcoming Museum of the Viking Age are part of. The ships have been under severe pressure, but with a new museum building, both ships and the rest of the large collection of Viking Age artifacts are in safe surroundings where they will continue to fascinate the public for many years to come.
The foundation stone is ready to be laid in the ground.
Photo: Mari P. Wammer/Museum of Cultural History
The children's choir at Bygdøy school sang for the guests.
Photo: Emil Johan Vestre/University of Oslo
Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess Mette-Marit laid the foundation stone.
Photo: Emil Johan Vestre/University of Oslo
– This is a special day! said Museum Director Aud V. Tønnessen in her speech.
Photo: Emil Johan Vestre/University of Oslo
Prorektor Åse Gornitzka holdt også tale.
Photo: Emil Johan Vestre/Universitetet i Oslo
Forsknings- og høyere utdanningsminister
Oddmund Hoel.
Photo: Emil Johan Vestre/Universitetet i Oslo
Time capsule
As a time capsule, a number of objects were placed in the foundation stone.
– An important task for the Museum of Cultural History is to discover traces of people from the past. With this foundation stone, we are doing the opposite – we are burying a time capsule and sending a message to the future, said Tønnessen, expressing hope that the objects will spark both joy and wonder from those who will open the capsule in the future.
The foundation stone contains:
- A banknote with an illustration of the Gokstad ship, a 20 Norwegian kroner coin with an illustration of the Oseberg ship – and to ensure that those who open the time capsule can accurately date the foundation stone, also a 20 kroner coin from 2024. The Museum of the Viking Age is now part of a several thousand-year-old tradition of using coins for foundation stone purposes.
- A spatula used during the excavation of the Gjellestad ship in 2021/2022 – the first excavation of a Viking ship in Norway since the Oseberg ship.
- An instrument used during the building process to protect ships and sledges from vibrations in this unique and unusually complex construction project.
- If those who open the time capsule in the future can extract information from the USB stick that is included, they will find building plans and information about the laying of the foundation stone. They will also find an overview of the Museum's research knowledge of the Viking Age as of today, in addition to questions about the Viking Age that the museum hopes the future will have gain further knowledge about.
- Three small Vikings with price tags. They are popular souvenirs for tourists in 2024, and hopefully they will be amusing to find in the future.
- In addition, the University of Oslo has included a small photo album with historical pictures of the Viking ships.
The planned opening of the Museum of the Viking Age is in 2027.
