Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum
Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum
4.5
Military Museums • History Museums
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10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Sentrum
How to get there
  • Stortinget • 10 min walk
See what travelers are saying
  • midway42
    Georgia3,057 contributions
    Compact, illuminating story of Norway in World War 2.
    In many European countries, World War 2 seems to provide as much cohesion for the country visited as interest for the military minded tourist. “No matter how much we fight now, during WW2 we were unified like never before.” I’ve seen this in Paris, Moscow, London, Poland…. and now Oslo. Found on the Akershus fortress grounds and adjacent to the castle (see separate review), this museum was my first stop on my first day in the country. It’s location is very appropriate, as the Nazis used the area as a prison and place of execution during the war. The layout of the museum is in a chronological fashion, starting with Norway's leading newspapers and their coverage of the war in 1939. The battle itself takes center stage thereafter, with all of the major engagements of Operation Weserubung (sinking of the Blucher, the battle for Narvik, etc.) covered. Special attention is obviously paid to the Royal family and the drama associated with German governance after Norwegian surrender. The lower level of the museum includes the most interesting exhibits and covers various topics related to the home front during the German occupation. Various type of resistance (organized, individual, group) are highlighted, with refusal by a group of teachers against Nazification in their classrooms by far the most memorable. Coverage of numerous raids (usually Norwegian and British in origin) round out the basement displays, with the Rjukan action taking center stage. The remaining third of the museum continues upstairs, with a presentation of the final years of the war and the dynamic with the other Allies emphasized. The description of Milorg (a 40,000 strong resistance movement) and the Nazis scorched-earth retreat were well done. I spent about three hours on site. As an avid World War 2 fan, it’s tough for me to view museums such as this objectively. With that as an introduction to the conclusion, this was a very thorough if non-modern (I.e. you actually have to read things and focus) collection of stories and objects that portray Norway’s role in World War 2 with minimal bias. In the US we have a shortage of information on the “Arctic Front” and there were enough personal stories here along with coverage of facets of the era I was unaware of to make my visit here more than worthwhile. An essential visit for those with the interest and highly recommended for anyone else. Thumbs up.
    Visited July 2022
    Written July 25, 2022
  • permia
    40,176 contributions
    Horrors of occupation well documented
    In an historic building within great Akershus a terrible 5 years for Norway is harrowingly described. From the April 1940 invasion and the subsequent long times of occupation, newspaper headlines, documents, photographs and artefacts cogently highlight the lives of the citizens during the horror. A black and white image shows fishing vessels smuggling the country’s bullion reserves to safety. Møllergata 19 was notorious as a prison by the occupiers and a single cell where usually four prisoners were kept is recreated. A prisoner’s diary of holes pricked in toilet paper was found after the war. Communications equipment was vital and an underground radio transmitter is displayed. One of the final exhibits shows King Haakon VII reopening Parliament in December 1945 at war’s end.
    Visited June 2022
    Written July 20, 2022
  • Jeff K
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania1,760 contributions
    Good, Not Great
    My wife and I recently toured this museum. I thought it did a reasonably good job of covering the impact of WW 2 on Norway. I was a little frustrated with the lack of English signage in some spots, but overall it wasn’t too bad. My biggest disappointment was at the end. The museum doesn’t address much about the end of the war (at least not in English) and absolutely nothing about post-war issues regarding collaborators. E.g. I knew Quisling had been executed but it’s not mentioned. I would have also liked to have known where the execution took place at the fortress. I was glad I visited but it could be a lot better with a few, minor changes,
    Visited September 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 12, 2022
  • Frank S
    Bognor Regis, United Kingdom292 contributions
    Disappointing
    We visited many good museums during our recent visit to Norway, but this was not one of them. The story of how Norway managed under German occupation during WW2 is one that deserves to be told much better. However, this museum seemed to be stuck in a time-warp, complete with 1970s style dioramas. In particular we were struck by the fact that there was nothing to catch the attention of young people, let alone hold it. Very disappointed.
    Visited August 2022
    Written August 4, 2022
  • ksufan88
    Wichita, Kansas5,282 contributions
    Not enough lighting to enjoy this place
    This museum covers the years 1940-1945 when the Germans occupied Norway. It does a good job of walking through what life was like as a prisoner in your own country, and we appreciated that many of the Norwegian language placards were also done in English. However, the lighting is so dim in many of the rooms (likely due to the age of many of the artifacts) that we struggled to read a large number of the displays which hindered us in understanding the story behind what we were looking at.
    Visited August 2022
    Written September 18, 2022
  • lupaglupa
    Albany, New York482 contributions
    Great stories in a dated museum
    There are so many amazing stories told in this museum about the lives lived in Norway during the Nazi occupation of World War II. The museum covers the whole war from many perspectives and has tons of original documents and artifacts. Unfortunately a lot of the exhibits are older and dated. At times it is hard to follow the thread of what is being shown. Still, even with those drawbacks this museum is well worth a visit by anyone interested in Norwegian history.
    Visited October 2022
    Written October 12, 2022
  • zuv
    Bucharest, Romania27,047 contributions
    Nothing special
    A small museum, located within the walls of Akershus Castle, in an old building. Not many exhibits and not very spectacular. Information in text or photo format predominates. You need a maximum of one hour to visit it.
    Visited April 2022
    Written May 3, 2022
  • Maggie_NHam
    Nottingham, United Kingdom293 contributions
    Learnt a lot about how Norway during WW2
    Located in the grounds of the Akerhus Fortress. There’s a lot to see, as it goes down a floor too. Displays are in Norwegian, as are the reprints from newspapers , etc of the time. There are English summaries dotted around but not easy to read in the dark, and also the rather odd choice of medium used. I had to resort to turning on torch phone frequently. There are some interesting artefacts though from WW2. Such as, a loaf of bread with 2 holes dug out to secrete rolls of microfilm, and the heel of a shoe holed out. An iron hiding a radio, and an oil canister similarly. Headphones and crystal sets. The Norwegians had to hand in radio sets because the BBC were broadcasting directly to Norway. The University was closed down, but a German Officer tipped them off so a lot of lives were saved. I hadn’t appreciated how Norwegian life had been so impacted by such complete occupation. I learnt a lot. With improvements to lighting and perhaps more English translation, I could have learnt more. A very interesting museum.
    Visited June 2023
    Written July 18, 2023
  • Barbara A
    Washington DC, District of Columbia88 contributions
    Very worthwhile
    Also known as the Norwegian Resistance Museum, this was really worth the visit. Although we knew a fair amount about WWII, we didn't know much about the occupation of Norway from 1940-45, and this was really well done. Mostly static displays of documents, but translated into many languages. Virtually the whole country resisted the occupation as they could, and the impact of the exhibit was moving
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 9, 2023
  • Turner S
    Paris, France1,430 contributions
    about an hour
    It's a good museum that will take you about an hour. Content is mostly Norwegian with English translation, but a lot of material is only in Norwegian. It is a dated museum as many other reviewers have said. I think it still gets main points of the resistance across.
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 25, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Barbara A
Washington DC, DC88 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Also known as the Norwegian Resistance Museum, this was really worth the visit. Although we knew a fair amount about WWII, we didn't know much about the occupation of Norway from 1940-45, and this was really well done. Mostly static displays of documents, but translated into many languages. Virtually the whole country resisted the occupation as they could, and the impact of the exhibit was moving
Written August 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maggie_NHam
Nottingham, UK293 contributions
Jun 2023
Located in the grounds of the Akerhus Fortress. There’s a lot to see, as it goes down a floor too. Displays are in Norwegian, as are the reprints from newspapers , etc of the time. There are English summaries dotted around but not easy to read in the dark, and also the rather odd choice of medium used. I had to resort to turning on torch phone frequently.

There are some interesting artefacts though from WW2. Such as, a loaf of bread with 2 holes dug out to secrete rolls of microfilm, and the heel of a shoe holed out. An iron hiding a radio, and an oil canister similarly. Headphones and crystal sets. The Norwegians had to hand in radio sets because the BBC were broadcasting directly to Norway. The University was closed down, but a German Officer tipped them off so a lot of lives were saved.

I hadn’t appreciated how Norwegian life had been so impacted by such complete occupation. I learnt a lot. With improvements to lighting and perhaps more English translation, I could have learnt more. A very interesting museum.
Written July 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Boyd J
Maleny, Australia1,600 contributions
Jul 2023
It was good, but not great mainly because only the outline/summary for each exhibit is available in English. It’s a terribly important period in Norwegian history and the museum tells an important story, one that would be far more meaningful if one is a Norwegian.
Written July 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Whitney S
Goose Creek, SC515 contributions
May 2023
Excellent museum Well worth a visit. If you are interested in WWII history, you will enjoy it. Learned lots of interesting facts about Norway during WWII that I did not know.
Written May 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Turner S
Paris, France1,430 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
It's a good museum that will take you about an hour. Content is mostly Norwegian with English translation, but a lot of material is only in Norwegian. It is a dated museum as many other reviewers have said. I think it still gets main points of the resistance across.
Written February 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lupaglupa
Albany, NY482 contributions
Oct 2022
There are so many amazing stories told in this museum about the lives lived in Norway during the Nazi occupation of World War II. The museum covers the whole war from many perspectives and has tons of original documents and artifacts. Unfortunately a lot of the exhibits are older and dated. At times it is hard to follow the thread of what is being shown. Still, even with those drawbacks this museum is well worth a visit by anyone interested in Norwegian history.
Written October 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ksufan88
Wichita, KS5,282 contributions
Aug 2022
This museum covers the years 1940-1945 when the Germans occupied Norway. It does a good job of walking through what life was like as a prisoner in your own country, and we appreciated that many of the Norwegian language placards were also done in English. However, the lighting is so dim in many of the rooms (likely due to the age of many of the artifacts) that we struggled to read a large number of the displays which hindered us in understanding the story behind what we were looking at.
Written September 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeff K
Pittsburgh, PA1,760 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
My wife and I recently toured this museum. I thought it did a reasonably good job of covering the impact of WW 2 on Norway. I was a little frustrated with the lack of English signage in some spots, but overall it wasn’t too bad.

My biggest disappointment was at the end. The museum doesn’t address much about the end of the war (at least not in English) and absolutely nothing about post-war issues regarding collaborators. E.g. I knew Quisling had been executed but it’s not mentioned. I would have also liked to have known where the execution took place at the fortress.

I was glad I visited but it could be a lot better with a few, minor changes,
Written September 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Frank S
Bognor Regis, UK292 contributions
Aug 2022
We visited many good museums during our recent visit to Norway, but this was not one of them. The story of how Norway managed under German occupation during WW2 is one that deserves to be told much better. However, this museum seemed to be stuck in a time-warp, complete with 1970s style dioramas. In particular we were struck by the fact that there was nothing to catch the attention of young people, let alone hold it. Very disappointed.
Written August 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

midway42
Georgia3,057 contributions
Jul 2022
In many European countries, World War 2 seems to provide as much cohesion for the country visited as interest for the military minded tourist. “No matter how much we fight now, during WW2 we were unified like never before.” I’ve seen this in Paris, Moscow, London, Poland…. and now Oslo. Found on the Akershus fortress grounds and adjacent to the castle (see separate review), this museum was my first stop on my first day in the country. It’s location is very appropriate, as the Nazis used the area as a prison and place of execution during the war.

The layout of the museum is in a chronological fashion, starting with Norway's leading newspapers and their coverage of the war in 1939. The battle itself takes center stage thereafter, with all of the major engagements of Operation Weserubung (sinking of the Blucher, the battle for Narvik, etc.) covered. Special attention is obviously paid to the Royal family and the drama associated with German governance after Norwegian surrender. The lower level of the museum includes the most interesting exhibits and covers various topics related to the home front during the German occupation. Various type of resistance (organized, individual, group) are highlighted, with refusal by a group of teachers against Nazification in their classrooms by far the most memorable. Coverage of numerous raids (usually Norwegian and British in origin) round out the basement displays, with the Rjukan action taking center stage. The remaining third of the museum continues upstairs, with a presentation of the final years of the war and the dynamic with the other Allies emphasized. The description of Milorg (a 40,000 strong resistance movement) and the Nazis scorched-earth retreat were well done. I spent about three hours on site.

As an avid World War 2 fan, it’s tough for me to view museums such as this objectively. With that as an introduction to the conclusion, this was a very thorough if non-modern (I.e. you actually have to read things and focus) collection of stories and objects that portray Norway’s role in World War 2 with minimal bias. In the US we have a shortage of information on the “Arctic Front” and there were enough personal stories here along with coverage of facets of the era I was unaware of to make my visit here more than worthwhile.

An essential visit for those with the interest and highly recommended for anyone else. Thumbs up.
Written July 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum, Oslo

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Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum is open:
  • Mon - Fri 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Sat - Sun 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM


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