Norsk Sagbruksmuseum

About the museum

Spillum Dampsag & Høvleri was founded in 1884 and is one of Norway’s oldest steam-powered sawmills. It supplied mainly northern Norway. In the 1940s electric motors replaced the steam engines, but the steam boiler was still used to dry timber in a new drying building. The production and drying buildings are counted among the largest timber buildings in the Nordic countries. Operations ceased in 1986.

In the early 1980s the Norsk Teknisk Museum and Riksantikvaren were looking for a sawmill from the age of steam power. Spillum was considered the best preserved, and the dismantling of the machinery was halted. A foundation, Spillum Dampsag & Høvleri, took over the site on 1 January 1989 with support from Riksantikvaren, and the museum opened to the public on 15 June 1991. The site was designated a priority cultural monument in 1994, and the name was changed to Norsk Sagbruksmuseum in 2003. Since 2008 the museum has been part of Museet Midt.

The museum keeps a small production running on the old saws and planer and has an almost complete company archive from 1884. The site also includes the tugboat “Oter”. Spillum Dampsag is the only large sawmill in the country with national protection status.

Highlights

• Steam sawmill from 1884
• Steam engine and planing mill
• The tugboat “Oter”
• Visitor centre with a film about timber buildings in Europe and Namdalen
• Small production days on the old machines

Permanent exhibition

• Livet på og ved saga i 150 år – Exhibition in the visitor centre and the sawmill building on the history of the sawmill, from the steam engine to the tugboat “Oter”.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Museet Midt IKS (Stiftelsen Spillum Dampsag og Høvleri)

Admission & discounts

A self-guided visit costs NOK 100 per person from age 18.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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

The flat parking area in front of the visitor centre makes it easy to get out by wheelchair. The modern visitor centre building has step-free access, an exhibition, a café with a view, a film and a wheelchair-accessible toilet. The Paraplyen (Umbrella), a large open hall with some outdoor exhibits, is step-free. In the sawmill building the lower floor is not accessible by wheelchair; the upper floor, where most of the production took place, is accessible enough for much to be seen. The Snekkeriet (joinery) has stairs and thresholds. Please get in touch in advance if you have special needs.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Spillum lies south of Namsos, on the east side of the outlet of the Namsen.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café with a view in the visitor centre, and a museum shop with books, postcards, self-made wooden goods and coffee.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit