Bohusläns museum

About the museum

Bohusläns museum has its origins in a museum initiated in 1861 by the bookseller Johan Fredrik Hallman. The collection was built up through gifts, and the museum was first called Uddevalla museum, with a focus on the town and its immediate surroundings. In 1863 the activity moved into its own premises on Kungsgatan.

During the 20th century the mission grew. The regional service of Riksantikvarieämbetet (the Swedish National Heritage Board) moved to Uddevalla in 1955, and in 1977 the museum was merged with the county’s cultural environment work into a foundation for the county museum of Göteborgs och Bohus län, which later became Bohusläns museum. Between 2006 and 2015 the activity was part of Västra Götaland Region’s cultural heritage administration, Västarvet.

The present museum building on Museigatan was inaugurated in 1984. The collections hold a large stock of art, hundreds of thousands of archaeological finds, objects relating to shipping, trade, fishing and agriculture, an extensive natural history collection, and an archive and library. The museum has free admission and is one of the country’s most visited county museums.

Highlights

• Free admission to the whole museum
• The boat hall with working boats and leisure boats
• The Johnson collection with art by, among others, Zorn and Liljefors
• Hej Havet! – an experience exhibition for children
• Uddevalla through the ages
• Skalbanksmuseet in summer

Permanent exhibitions

• Båthallen – Boats, from traditional working boats to leisure boats, in the museum’s large hall.
• Uddevalla genom tiderna – Uddevalla’s history as a harbour and trading town in a borderland.
• Hej Havet! – Experience exhibition for children about the sea and life at sea.

Founded

1861

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the museum, the exhibitions and the programmes and activities, unless otherwise stated. Guided tours are booked for a fee according to the museum’s price list.

Accessibility

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

Automatic door at the entrance, a lift to the upper floor and Hyllan (the Shelf), and an accessible toilet near the entrance hall. Wheelchairs can be borrowed at reception. All exhibitions are accessible by wheelchair and rollator. Induction loops are in the Hörsalen (lecture hall), Spisrummet (dining room) and Hyllan, and a mobile loop can be arranged on request. Disabled parking is at the main entrance facing the museum park. Some exhibitions are dim out of consideration for the objects. The lift has tactile buttons and voice announcements.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Hej Havet! is an exhibition for children where you take off your shoes or borrow overshoe covers; there is also space for pushchairs. Packed lunches may be eaten in the boat hall or the foyer, where there is a microwave. Changing tables are on the entrance level and the upper floor. Holiday and weekend activities are arranged.

Getting there & parking

The museum’s guest harbour can no longer be used for mooring, due to the risk of landslides.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant Kajkanten with KRAV-certified home cooking and a salad buffet. Museum shop and web shop. Small lockers for outerwear and a lockable room for large bags; ask at reception.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit