Old Bergen Museum (Gamle Bergen)

The Old Bergen Museum (Gamle Bergen) is an open-air museum in the Sandviken district of Bergen, in Vestland county, Norway. It consists of about 50 wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of them moved from central Bergen to the site to save them from demolition, and arranged as a small town with streets, a bakery, a shop, a dentist's surgery and craftsmen's workshops. The collection shows how townspeople of different social classes lived, from wealthy merchants to ordinary workers, and many interiors are furnished with period objects. The museum is operated by Bergen City Museum and uses a thematic approach, with guides in period costume in the summer season who explain daily life, crafts and domestic work. The wooden construction of the houses reflects Bergen's tradition of timber architecture, and the area is a good place to see how the city looked before the big stone buildings of later periods. Restoration of the houses is ongoing, using traditional materials and techniques. The site is parkland as well as museum, and the grounds can be walked freely in places. The museum also has an English-language guided tour in the main season and a cafe. A visit usually takes two to three hours, and the museum can be reached by bus from the city centre.