Valdres Folkemuseum

About the museum

Valdres Folkemuseum was founded in 1901 on the initiative of the emigrated Valdres native Nils K. Ødegaard, who believed that a public museum could strengthen awareness of the past and thereby give the people of Valdres something to build on for the future. The first house, the Handeloftet (the Hande Loft) from the farm Hande in Vestre Slidre, was bought in 1905. The oldest house is the Mellomalderloftet (the Medieval Loft) from Uppigard Høve in Øystre Slidre, which was built before 1350, is protected and was set up at the museum in 1946–47.

Around 1950 the museum area was considerably enlarged, and never have more houses been moved to the museum than in the 1950s. Among them came an entire smallholding from Øvre Frigstad in Vestre Slidre. At the top of Storøya lies a summer farm area with summer farm houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Today around a hundred houses and facilities stand in the open-air museum, and the municipalities of Valdres own the museum. The most recent house moved there is a fireplace room that once stood outside the old Fagernes hotel, where the museum was founded.

The visitor building, designed by Lund Hagem Arkitekter and completed in 2010, houses the museum café, exhibitions, a function hall with a concert grand piano, museum storage and the museum shop, and has made room for more year-round activity. The museum is part of Valdresmusea, the consolidated museum for Valdres, and is open all year round. In summer guests can meet folk musicians, dancers, craftspeople and budeier (dairymaids), and see farm animals at the museum.

Highlights

• Around a hundred antiquarian houses and facilities in the open-air museum
• The Mellomalderloftet from before 1350, the oldest non-church timber house in Valdres
• The summer farm area on top of Storøya with summer farm houses from the 18th and 19th centuries
• Folk music, dance and drop-in tours in the summer season
• Children's playground with climbing and natural play
• The visitor building with café, shop, exhibitions and function hall

Permanent exhibitions

• Friluftsmuseet – Around a hundred antiquarian houses and facilities, from the Mellomalderloftet from before 1350 to a smallholding and a summer farm area.
• Stølsområdet på Storøya – Summer farm houses from the 18th and 19th centuries and the Tvengjistølen from 1948 on the top of Storøya.

Founded

1901

Operated by

Valdresmusea AS

Admission & discounts

In summer two guided tours are offered each day, and the drop-in tour is included in the ticket price.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The outdoor area is partly hilly, but gravel paths run through large parts of the area and up to the buildings. The paths are mainly suitable for wheelchair users, but some stretches are steep and inaccessible. The exhibitions and the café are adapted for wheelchairs, the Slidrehuset has a ramp, and the amphitheatre has its own wheelchair spaces. A simple wheelchair can be borrowed at reception. Most of the antiquarian houses have high door thresholds, and in some houses the lighting is limited. At events in the function hall, a sound system and an induction loop are used. The accessible toilet in the visitor building has a changing table. A companion enters free, and accessible parking (HC parking) is available at the car park.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The museum's playground is designed for children to climb, balance, run and play in natural surroundings. In summer there are dairymaids (budeier), farm animals and activities at the summer farm. A changing table is in the accessible toilet.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies on a peninsula in Strandefjorden, 800 metres from Fagernes town centre. It is 186 km from Oslo, 337 km from Bergen, 116 km from Lillehammer, 50 km from Gol and 38 km from Beitostølen.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers: not available
• Wi-Fi

Fjordkafeen and the museum shop are in the visitor building; the café has an overview of food allergens. Free Wi-Fi for guests (network DigitaltMuseum; ask at reception for the password). There are no storage lockers, but outer clothing can be hung in the cloakroom outside the toilets and the function hall.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit