Rana museum

About the museum

Rana museum is a branch of Helgeland Museum and is housed in the converted shopping centre “Moment” near the centre of Mo i Rana, co-located with Vitensenter Nordland (the Nordland science centre). The museum tells the story of the town and the region and has had new exhibitions since February 2026.

In the exhibition on industrial history stands a bulldozer from the construction period, and the timeline “Jern” shows pictures and objects from Rana's industrial history, from the establishment of national industry to the restructuring. The town model shows the old seaside settlement of Mo at a scale of 1:100, as it looked between 1920 and the post-war period. The model, of just over 80 square metres, was made by Helge Monsen (1928–2016); a small part is on display, while a digital version lets visitors walk the streets.

The exhibition “Rana okkupert” sheds light on the war years, including the railway line from Mo i Rana to Dunderland, which was built by Soviet prisoners of war. The museum also has a natural history exhibition with Nordland's largest butterfly collection and predators, the exhibition on the furniture maker Håkon Loe and the exhibition “Crossings200” on emigration to America. The museum also manages Stenneset open-air museum and the mountain farm Bredek.

Highlights

• Town model of old Mo at a scale of 1:100
• The exhibition “Rana okkupert” on the war years
• Industrial history of iron and restructuring
• Natural history with Nordland's largest butterfly collection
• Co-located with Vitensenter Nordland

Permanent exhibition

• Industri, bymodell og krigsår – Exhibitions on Rana's industrial history (“Jern”), the town model of old Mo, the war years (“Rana okkupert”), natural history and the furniture maker Håkon Loe.

Operated by

Helgeland Museum

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is in the converted shopping centre “Moment” near the centre of Mo i Rana, in the same building as Vitensenter Nordland.

Amenities & dining

Vitensenter Nordland is in the same building.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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