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Lofoten Tørrfiskmuseum

Small museum in an old fish reception station at Å that shows the whole process from fresh cod to finished, packed dried fish.

Opening hours unknown

Directions

About the museum

Lofoten Tørrfiskmuseum is located at Å in Moskenes, just before the turn-off to the centre of the fishing village, down by the sea. The museum is housed in an old fish reception station and is devoted to dried fish (tørrfisk), which is Norway's oldest export product. The collection shows the fishing and the drying of cod, mainly for export to Italy.

The exhibition follows the fish from the moment it is landed until it is packed in bundles of 25 or 50 kilos and ready for export. Visitors see the hoisting baskets used to lift the fish from the boats, the scales and wheelbarrows, and how the fish were tied together in pairs and the heads threaded on ropes to dry. In the loft on the first floor the finished dried fish is stored in spring and sorted by quality through the summer, before Italian buyers come to trade.

The museum is open in the summer season, and the hosts Steinar Larsen and Elin Graner offer regular guided tours with an insight into dried-fish production and the trade with Italy.

Highlights

Old fish reception station by the sea
The whole process from fresh cod to finished, packed dried fish
The sorting loft on the first floor
Guided tours in the summer season
The story of the dried-fish trade with Italy