IDDIS Norsk grafisk museum og Norsk hermetikkmuseum

About the museum

IDDIS brings together two industrial histories in Gamle Stavanger: Norsk grafisk museum and Norsk hermetikkmuseum. The name is the Stavanger word for the labels on canning tins, which in the local dialect became “iddikett” and then “iddis”. The two museums share a common history, because it was the need for colourful labels and packaging for the canning industry that laid the foundation for Stavanger's strong graphic industry.

Norsk hermetikkmuseum opened its exhibitions in 1982 in a disused canning factory, in memory of the industry that was an important business in the city from 1873 to 1982. Norsk grafisk museum was founded in 1991 and opened its exhibitions to the public in 1993 in an old canning warehouse at Sandvigå. The building and the area were later zoned for a hotel, and in 2013 the museum closed to the public and moved its collections into storage while awaiting new premises.

The new museum received support from, among others, the government, and the architectural competition in 2015 was won by Eder Biesel Arkitekter. In the new building the exhibitions on the graphic industry and on the importance of written language and the art of printing are on the ground floor, while the print works on the first floor shows how a printed item was made in the typesetting room, the print room and the bookbinding workshop. In the old canning factory, visitors can follow the production line and try packing fish into a tin themselves.

Highlights

• The print works with a hand press from around 1850, typesetting machines and high-speed presses
• The canning factory, where visitors can follow the production line
• The exhibition “Trykkingens historie” (“The History of Printing”) on writing and images through the ages
• Museum café IDDIS Café & Brasserie and museum shop
• Free audio guide and QR codes with sign language videos

Permanent exhibitions

• Trykkingens historie – Exhibition on the ground floor about the importance of written language, the development of the art of printing, and the story of the labels (“iddisane”) that Stavanger's graphic industry printed for the canning industry.
• Trykkeriet – On the first floor the rooms are fitted out as a print works with hand typesetting, typesetting machines, printing presses, proofreading and bookbinding, and a museum printer demonstrates the machines.
• Hermetikkfabrikken – In the old canning factory visitors can follow the production line from manual work to machines and try packing fish into a tin themselves.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Museum Stavanger (MUST)

Admission & discounts

With the Aftenbladet subscriber benefit you get 25 per cent off. One ticket gives admission to all open MUST museums on the same day.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Visitors using wheelchairs can see much of the museum. Access is limited to three of the exhibition rooms on the first floor of the old canning factory. The building at Øvre Strandgate 90 is not accessible for people with reduced mobility and has no lift. There is a toilet and one disabled parking space at Andasmauet 15. The buildings have guide lines outside and in the foyer, and in some places in the exhibition there are QR codes with videos in sign language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Visitors can try packing fish into a tin in the canning factory themselves. Adults accompany children of primary-school age.

Getting there & parking

From central Stavanger it is about a 10-minute walk or a 5-minute bike ride along Øvre Strandgate. Deliveries are made from Andasmauet 15.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café IDDIS Café & Brasserie and museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The room “Dingley” can be rented for courses, conferences and parties.

Plan your visit