Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society
Small museum exhibition with free admission in Hammerfest on Arctic hunting, polar history and the town’s past as a trading post.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Isbjørnklubben (the Polar Bear Club) in Hammerfest, known in English as the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society, was founded in 1963 by two local businessmen. The club has a small museum in the centre of Hammerfest, and the polar bear is the town’s mascot and part of the town’s coat of arms.
The exhibition room shows stuffed animals, early Arctic hunting and camp equipment, photographs, paintings and texts about the town’s past as a trading station and about polar history. The exhibition covers Arctic wildlife, polar expeditions and Hammerfest’s role in trade in the north, and its texts are in Norwegian, German and English.
Admission to the exhibition is free, but visitors are encouraged to become members and so support the work of preserving local history. Membership, which must be bought on site, gives among other things a membership card, a certificate signed by the mayor, a sticker and a pin. The club has several hundred thousand members from around the world.
Highlights
- Free admission to the exhibition
- Stuffed animals and Arctic hunting equipment
- Stories of polar expeditions and Hammerfest’s trading history
- Membership with certificate and pin, available on site only
- The polar bear as the town’s symbol
Permanent exhibition
- Utstillingen i Isbjørnklubben – One exhibition room with stuffed animals, Arctic hunting equipment, photographs, paintings and texts about the town’s past as a trading station and about polar history.
- Founded
- 1963
- Operated by
- Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission to the exhibition. Membership (card, certificate, pin and sticker) can be bought on site.
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 hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The membership package can be bought on site.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
