Culture Theme - PureNorway

Culture

Art inspired by nature

Known for its amazing nature, Norway is making a name for itself as a cultural destination. Our tours for groups and individuals showcase the best that our country has to offer in the fields of Art, literature, architecture & design.

We suggest starting your cultural journey with a city break in Oslo or Bergen and to continue into the heart of the country. There you will understand why Norwegian painters, writers but also architects and designers have drawn their inspiration from the fjords and mountains.

Interested in classical or modern, traditional, or contemporary, we will indicate the address of the museum or concert hall to suit your taste and use our network of local experts, curators, designers, and private owners of art & villas to make your experience complete.

Museums and venues

The National Opera

The National Opera which opened in 2008 is well worth a visit during a stay in the Norwegian Capital. Designed by the Norwegian company Snøhetta and built of natural materials of Stone, wood, metal and glass, the building seems to rise from the fjord, in the center of Oslo. Tours of the Opera are possible with local guides, and we can assist with ticket reservations to evening representations.

The National Museum

Opened in spring 2022, the National Museum is the largest art museum in Scandinavia. The permanent exhibition present older and modern art, as well as contemporary, under the same roof.

The new National Museum is the home to many pieces from Norway most famous painter and one of the pioneers of expressionism, Edvard Munch. The rest of Munch’s artwork is on display at the new 13 floor Munch museum in Bjørvika, in Oslo. Munch’s house in the coastal village of Åsgårdstrand on the Oslofjord is also open for visits.

Culture outside the city

Bygdøy

Learn about Norway’s maritime history by spending a day on the peninsula of Bygdøy, near the Oslo fjord. You can find some of the world’s best-preserved Viking ships at the Viking museum – Currently closed for complete refurbishing – contact us for more information. Also, in Bygdøy, the Fram and Kon-tiki museums are dedicated to the great Norwegian explorers, Thor Heyerdahl, Fridtjof Nansen, and Roald Admundsen first man to Antarctica 14 december 1911.

Blåfarveværket

At Blåfarveverket, in the countryside outside of Oslo, you can visit the Cobalt mines site from 1773 and one of the largest collections of works of the Norwegian painter, Theodor Kittelsen.

Hadeland

Norway’s new destination for contemporary art & architecture is the Hadeland region, just north of Oslo. A local museum in particular has received a lot of international media attention, explaining why a growing number of tourists are including a certain countryside “twist” to their cultural journey. Continuing east to the shores of Norway’s largest lake, Mjøsa where you can visit the works of the architect Sverre Fehn at the Hedmark Museum and embark onboard the world’s oldest paddle steamer to Lillehammer. Visit the Lillehammer Art Museum and Norway’s largest open-air Museum, with its 200 historical building, including one of Norway’s 28 remaining stave churches. The Norwegian stave churches are the oldest wooden buildings in the world.