Collections

The collections of the Museum of Cultural History are the result of almost 200 years of accumulation. The museum holds Norway’s largest collection of ancient and medieval artefacts, church art, runic inscriptions, coins and other moneys, decorations and medals, antiquities and ethnographic objects

The collections are the core of the museum’s activities. They form the basis of the museum’s research, education and heritage protection policies. The collections consist of all the objects owned by the museum, the documentation connected to these objects, and other archive material.

However, only some of the objects are exhibited. The remainder are kept in storage, undergoing a restoration process, being used for research purposes, or on loan to other museums or research institutions. The museum is working to describe and catalogue all of its objects so they can be listed in databases that will be made available to the public.

Picture: A Shishi mask from Higawa, Japan