Sunnhordland Museum

About the museum

Sunnhordland Museum is the regional museum for the eight municipalities of Austevoll, Bømlo, Etne, Fitjar, Kvinnherad, Stord, Sveio and Tysnes, and it also owns a historic site in Ølen in Vindafjord. The museum documents the region's history through collecting, preservation, research and interpretation, and manages 41 antiquarian buildings, large object collections and photo and private archives. It also advises residents on building conservation, collection management and interpretation.

Sunnhordlandstunet in Vidstenparken in Leirvik on Stord is the museum's visitor and administration centre. The farmyard brings together 11 buildings from various places in Sunnhordland. Originally the idea was a large, central farmyard of the oldest and finest houses in the district, but already in the interwar period the museum chose instead to preserve farmyards and buildings in their original setting. The farmyard includes, among others, a smoke house that is probably from the 1500s, a glass and lem stove from 1650, a smithy, a stabbur (storehouse), an eldhus (kitchen house), a låve (barn), a strandsitjarstove, a krambu (shop booth) and a schoolhouse.

In the main building, visitors can walk through the exhibitions, including permanent exhibitions on fishing, coastal industries and local textile history, book a guided tour of the farmyard, and try the museum's escape room. The museum also shows changing exhibitions and holds a number of events throughout the year.

The museum also includes several departments that are open to the public, among them Halsnøy kloster in Kvinnherad and Sæbøtunet in Etne. Here are the remains of the Augustinian monastery that Erling Skakke founded in 1164, and Sæbøtunet is one of the region's largest authentic museum farmyards.

Highlights

• Museum farmyard with 11 buildings from Sunnhordland, including a smoke house probably from the 1500s
• Permanent exhibitions on fishing, coastal industries and textiles
• Glass and lem stove from 1650
• Escape room in the museum
• Vidstenparken as the setting for the museum farmyard

Permanent exhibitions

• Fiskeri, kystnæringer og tekstil – Permanent exhibitions in the main building on fishing and coastal industries in Sunnhordland and on local textile history.
• Museumstunet – Eleven buildings from various places in Sunnhordland, including a smoke house, glass and lem stove, smithy, storehouse and shop booth.

Founded

1913

Operated by

Sunnhordland Museum

Admission & discounts

The prices apply for 2026. Children under 6 enter free. Tickets are valid for Sunnhordlandstunet and Halsnøy kloster.

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 Vidstenparken in central Leirvik on Stord, at Museumsbakken 16.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The museum rents out rooms with historic character for meetings, conferences, birthdays, company parties, confirmations, christenings and weddings. Halsnøy kloster is an approved wedding venue. The hirer arranges tableware and food independently.

Plan your visit