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Vigeland ParkCity/Region: Oslo
Vigeland Park is the city's most visited attraction, a vast green area of duck ponds, trees and lawns that is a monument to the celebrated Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who spent 40 years creating the life-size statues that decorate the walkways and open spaces. There are more than 200 works presenting the human form in a variety of poses and conveying a range of emotions. At the center of the park is the most impressive piece, the Monolith, a gigantic mass of writhing bodies carved from
a single column of stone, and believed to be the largest granite sculpture in the world at a height of 46ft (14m). Surrounding the column are groups of human sculptures in various forms of interaction with each other. The most famous and most photographed piece is the Angry Boy, a fat child stamping his foot. There are many more sculptures to be seen in the park and in the nearby Vigeland Museum, featuring a display on the development of the artist's work and his sketches and plaster originals.
Address: Kirkeveien
Phone Number: 2349 3700
Website: www.museumsnett.no/vigelandmuseet
Transport: Bus 20 or tram 12 to Vigelandsparken; all westbound underground lines to Majorstuen station
Hours: The park is always open. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 12pm to 4pm (September to May), and from Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm (June to August). Closed on Mondays
Admission: Free
The Kon-Tiki MuseumCity/Region: Oslo
Situated on the Bygdøy Peninsula, the Kon-Tiki Museum contains the renowned balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki, on which Thor Heyerdahl made his famous journey across the Pacific in 1947 to prove the theory that the first Polynesian settlers could have sailed the 4,300 miles (6,923km) between Peru and Polynesia. The museum also contains the original reed raft, Ra II, on which Heyerdahl sailed across the Atlantic in 1970. Besides the rafts there is a huge stuffed whale shark, artifacts from his expeditions and exhibits from his visits to Easter Island, and an intriguing collection of archaeological finds from Easter Island, Galapagos, East Polynesia and Peru.
Address: Bygdøynesveien 36, Bygdøy Peninsula
Phone Number: 2308 6767
Email Address: kon-tiki@online.no
Website: www.kon-tiki.no
Transport: Bus 30 from the National Theater, or ferry 91 from Pier 3 behind the City Hall to Bygdøy (summer only)
Hours: Daily except public holidays 9am to 5.30pm (June to August), 10.30am to 4pm (January to March), 10am to 5pm (April to May and September to October)
Admission: 50 kr (adults), 25 kr (children). Other concessions are available
The Viking Ships MuseumCity/Region: Oslo
Situated on the Bygdøy Peninsula, the Viking Ship Museum houses three 9th-century Viking ships that were excavated from ritual burial mounds in the south of Norway. Their excellent condition is due to the clay in which they were embalmed. Viking ships were used as tombs for royalty who were buried with everything they might need in their life after death. The biggest and best preserved of the ships is the Gokstad, and the finest is the Oseberg, a richly ornamented dragon ship with an intricately carved animal head post, that was the burial chamber of a Viking queen. The elegantly carved sleigh used by the Viking royalty, and a hoard of treasure was found on the buried ship and is displayed at the back of the museum. Raised platforms allow visitors to view the inside of the ship's hulls.
Address: Huk Aveny 35, Bygdøy Peninsula
Phone Number: 2213 5280
Email Address: postmottak@khm.uio.no
Website: http://www.ukm.uio.no/vikingskipshuset/english.php
Transport: Bus 30 to Bygdøy stops at the National Theater, or ferry 91 from Pier 3 behind the City Hall (summer only)
Hours: Daily 9am to 6pm (May to September), 11am to 4pm (October to April). Closed on public holidays
Admission: 50 kr (adults), 25 kr (children); other concessions available
BryggenCity/Region: Bergen
Bryggen, the site of the old medieval quarter, is a charming, compact area of brightly colored wooden homes that once housed the city's merchants. Steep cobbled lanes are lined with a vivacious blend of cafes and artists workshops. The Hanseatic wharf area, with many buildings dating from before the 17th century, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the most important examples of the civilization of a medieval settlement in the world. This was once the working area of the merchants and is the oldest part of Bergen, characterized by a maze of lopsided wooden buildings with pointed gables facing the harbor. The Bryggens and Hanseatic Museums as well as the 12th century St Mary's Church are all in the Bryggen area. At one end of the wharf is Bergen's famous fish market, a colorful market also selling flowers, fruit, vegetables and souvenirs.
Transport: Within walking distance of the city center
Hanseatic MuseumCity/Region: Bergen
The Hanseatic Museum is housed in one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden buildings in Bryggen, the former home of a wealthy merchant. Furnished in the 18th century style, it provides a glimpse of the working and living conditions of the Hanseatic merchants during the Middle Ages. The austere layout and maze-like rooms are saturated by the smell of fish and leave a lasting impression.
Address: Finnegårdsgate 1A, Bryggen
Phone Number: 5554 4690
Email Address: hanseat@online.no
Website: www.bergen.kommune.no/hanseatisk_/ekstern/museum
Transport: A few minutes walk from Torget
Hours: Daily from 10am to 5pm (May 15 to September 15) and from 11am to 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday, closed Mondays (September 16 to May 14)
Admission: Adults: 45 kr (May 15 to September 15) and 25 kr (September 16 to May 14), entrance is free for children
Bryggens MuseumCity/Region: Bergen
The archaeological museum was built around the remains of the oldest buildings discovered in Bergen, dating from the 12th century, and the ruins have been incorporated into the exhibits along with excavated tools, ceramics and skeletons. The museum houses various artifacts and traditional costumes and imaginatively attempts to recreate life in the Middle Ages with displays of domestic implements, handicrafts, runic inscriptions and items relating to seafaring and trade during medieval times.
Address: Dreggsallmenning 3, Bryggen
Phone Number: 5558 8010
Email Address: bryggensmuseum@bmu.uib.no
Transport: A few minutes walk from Torget
Hours: Daily 10am to 5pm (May to August), Monday to Friday 11am to 3pm, Saturday 12pm to 3pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm (September to April)
Admission: 30 kr, concessions available
St Mary's Church (Mariakirken)City/Region: Bergen
Bergen's oldest surviving building, the beautiful Romanesque stone Church of St Mary's, dates from the beginning of the 12th century. The interior is decorated with old frescoes and a splendid Baroque pulpit that was donated by the Hanseatic merchants in 1676. The twin towers of the church are distinctive among the low red-tiled roofs of the old quarter.
Address: Dreggen 15, Bergen
Phone Number: 5531 5960
Email Address: domkirken.menighet@bkf.no
Transport: Bus 5, 6, 9, 20, 21 or 22 from the city center
Hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 11.30am and 1pm to 4pm (mid-May to mid-September), Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 1.30pm (October to April)
Tromsø MuseumCity/Region: Tromsø
The Tromsø Museum is northern Norway's oldest and largest museum with exhibitions devoted to the cultural and natural history of the region. There is a comprehensive display relating to the traditional culture and music of the Sami or Lapp people and their nomadic, reindeer-herding way of life. There are also daily films in summer about the Northern Lights.
Address: Lars Thøringsveg 10
Phone Number: 7764 5000
Transport: Bus 28 from Storgata
Hours: Daily from 9am to 8pm from June 1 to August 31. Daily from 8.30am to 3.30pm, except weekends when the museum opens at midday (September 1 to May 31). During this time the museum is open from 7pm to 10pm on Wednesday evenings
Admission: 45 kr (adults), 25 kr (children)
Arctic CathedralCity/Region: Tromsø
The spectacular design of the white and ultra-modern Arctic Cathedral is visible from afar, situated on a small hill on an island linked by the spindly Tromsø Bridge. It is an architectural masterpiece, made up of eleven large triangular sections representing the eleven faithful apostles and symbolising northern Norwegian heritage, culture and faith. It bears an interesting resemblance to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, but its color and shape can also be likened to an iceberg. The cathedral has one of the largest stained glass windows in Europe, and the interior is decorated with grand chandeliers that are made up of many prisms of color and lights, representing hanging ice formations.
Address: Tromsdalen
Phone Number: 7775 3500
Transport: Bus 26 in the direction of Hungeren or bus 27 and 28 in the direction of Sollen
Hours: Daily 4pm to 6pm (mid-April to May, and mid-August to September), 10am to 8pm (June to mid-August). Sunday services are held throughout the year; concerts are generally every night at 10pm (July to mid-August)
Admission: 22 kr (adults), children under 15 free. No admission required for services, but concerts are 70 kr
PolariaCity/Region: Tromsø
Polaria is an information and experience center for the whole family, combining interactive experiences with knowledge about the arctic environment. There is a panoramic film about the arctic wilderness of Svalbard, an Arctic Walkway that creates a snowstorm experience and the Northern Lights spectacle. The seal pool is especially exciting at feeding time, and an aquarium provides a close look at arctic sea mammals and life in the freezing waters.
Address: Hjalmar Johansens gate 12
Phone Number: 7775 0100
Email Address: info@polaria.no
Website: www.polaria.no
Hours: Daily 10am to 7pm (mid-May to mid-August), 12pm to 5pm (mid-August to mid-May). Feeding daily at 12.30pm and 3.30pm
Admission: 90 kr (adults), 45 kr (children)
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