Nordnorsk Båtmuseum

About the museum

The collection goes back to Arctic skipper Bertheus Eilivsen, who settled here in 1928 and displayed some of the family's old Nordland boats in two large boathouses at Årstein. The same year Gratangen Turiststasjon (tourist station) opened, and it used the boathouses and boats in its marketing to its guests. After Bertheus died in 1937, two of his brothers in Gratangsbotn took over the four Nordland boats and later also a catch boat from the Arctic sealing vessel “Canada”, and in 1954 the collection got a museum building in a former German wharf (tyskerbrygge).

The museum was run by the municipality as Gratangen Båtsamling (boat collection), and in 1996 the collection was incorporated into Stiftelsen Nordnorsk Fartøyvernsenter og Båtmuseum (the foundation for the Northern Norwegian Vessel Conservation Centre and Boat Museum). The conservation centre was built in the industrial area of Hellarbogen, about 15 kilometres further out the fjord, while the museum remained in Gratangsbotn. The administration moved to Hellarbogen in 2006, and from 2009 the museum department has been without permanent staff.

Today the museum is a special museum for the Nordland boat, the traditional boat type of Northern Norway, which in the old coastal society was the lifeline for fishing, transport and social life. The museum is open in the summer season and can be opened for larger groups by arrangement.

Highlights

• Extensive collection of Nordland boats
• Museum building in a former German wharf
• Café with waffles, coffee and cakes
• Museum shop with books, souvenirs and gift ideas

Permanent exhibition

• Samlingen av nordlandsbåter – The museum shows an extensive collection of Nordland boats and tells of the boat's significance in the old coastal society.

Founded

1954

Operated by

Stiftelsen Nordnorsk Fartøyvernsenter og Båtmuseum

Admission & discounts

The prices apply to the 2026 season.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Gratangsbotn in Gratangen municipality. The conservation centre, which is not a visitor site, is at Hellarbogen, about 15 kilometres further out the fjord.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café with waffles, coffee and cakes, and a museum shop with books, souvenirs and gift ideas.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit