Sunnmøre museum

About the museum

Sunnmøre museum was founded in 1931 and is located in Borgundgavlen in Ålesund. The idea of a museum for the whole of Sunnmøre grew up in the 1920s, after Aalesunds Museum had lost its collections in the town fire of 1904. Over time an open-air museum was built up with buildings from the surrounding rural districts, and today it is the largest museum venue in Viti, the regional museum of Sunnmøre.

In the open-air museum stands a large collection of houses that show how people lived in the old farming society, where most people made a living from a combination of farming and fishing. Here are living rooms (stuer), storehouses (stabbur), cowsheds, a school and a prayer house (bedehus), and the area also works as a recreation area for walks, open all year round.

The boat collection is another main attraction. In the boat hall and by the quay, traditional boats from the coast are displayed, including the only remaining original sunnmørsåttring (a Sunnmøre eight-oared boat), copies of Iron Age and Viking ships from Fjørtoft and Kvalsund, and boats from the Second World War. By the quay lies the fishing cutter MK “Heland”, which took part in the England run (Englandsfarten) during the war. In the main building there are permanent and changing exhibitions.

Highlights

• Open-air museum with buildings from all over Sunnmøre
• The boat hall with the only original sunnmørsåttring
• Copies of the Viking ships from Fjørtoft and Kvalsund
• MK “Heland”, a Shetland bus from the Second World War, by the museum quay
• Exhibition “Eg var her – stemmene frå Sunnmøre” (I Was Here – Voices from Sunnmøre) in the main building
• Museum café and forest paths open to walkers

Permanent exhibitions

• Friluftsmuseet – Collection of old buildings from all over Sunnmøre showing how people lived and worked in the pre-modern farming society.
• Båthallen og MK «Heland» – Traditional boats, copies of Iron Age and Viking ships, and the fishing cutter MK “Heland” from the England run during the Second World War.
• Eg var her – stemmene frå Sunnmøre – Exhibition in the main building where voices from Sunnmøre tell about life and history in the region.

Founded

1931

Operated by

Viti

Admission & discounts

Events have separate prices. Viti has an annual pass that applies to several of the museums.

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

The exhibitions in the main building, the boat halls, the museum café and the museum shop have universal access. There is accessible (HC) parking at the entrance, and the outdoor area by the main building and the quay is adapted for wheelchairs, with rollable gravel and asphalt in parts of the open-air museum. Fjordmannstova is universally accessible, while the other historic buildings in the open-air museum are not.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Children and young people under 18 have free admission. School programmes for different year levels.

Getting there & parking

Museumsvegen 12 in Borgundgavlen, Ålesund.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café and museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Hire of, among other things, Ytterlandstova and Åkre bedehus for confirmations, child baptisms, memorial services, meetings and company events. Bookings at bookingsm@vitimusea.no.

Plan your visit