Maihaugen Museum

Maihaugen offers activities and experiences for the whole family. Enjoy the idyllic surroundings of this great open-air museum and experience life like in the old days. A collection of more than 200 houses from as far back as the 12th century and until today, including the Garmo stave church.

Maihaugen offers activities and experiences for the whole family. This is the largest open-air museum in Norway with more than 200 historic houses from the 13th century until today.

Have a peek into historical homes

In the idyllic open-air museum there are more than 200 historic houses from as far back as the 13th Century until today. All year it is nice to stroll around and get an impression of how we lived in the past. Several of the historical houses have open doors so you may have a peek through the door. Some of them have audiogudies where you can listen to stories from the actual time period of the house.

A main attraction is the Garmo stave church from the 1200s. 

Queen Sonja's childhood home

Dream back to the various decades of the 20th century. In the Residential area in the open-air museum, you can refresh childhood memories and share them with your family.

In the Residential area you may also see the 1930s house which was Queen Sonja's childhood home. The house was built for the Haraldsen family, and Sonja lived here most of the time until she married Crown Prince Harald in 1968. The house is not open at the moment, but you can take a look in through the windows.

Maihaugen does not only show historical homes from different times. The open-air museum also has a part with mountain cabins telling how the Norwegians cabin dream has developed over time.

Great exhibitions

There are open exhibitions both in the main building and outdoors in the open-air museum. In the Town there are open doors to the photo studio and book bindery.

Inside the main building you may visit the exhibition on Norway's history back from the Ice Age, We won the land. There is also a small exhibition called Hytta – four walls around a dream, about the relationship Norwegians have to their cabins.

Later this fall we look forewards to open our great new main exhibition Impulses, opening 23 October.

Fun for children

Maihaugen has large park areas fun for children to explore. The playground is open with play equipment and historic playrooms. 

There is an activity trail in the open-air museum for families with children (only in Norwegain).

Also see Maihaugen for children.

Animals and farm work

Both children and adults enjoy meeting the animals at Maihaugen. All summer, there are cows and sheep all around the idyllic grazing areas of the open-air museum.

The horses also graze on the meadows when they are not helping the museum farmers with different farm work done in the traditional way. The farmers are happy to show you their daily work. You can also meet pigs and chickens. The animals are outside until mid October if the fall does not get to chilly.

Café and Museum Shop

The Museum Shop and the café in the visitor center is open every day in the museum's opening hours.

You may also bring your own food for a nice picnic somewhere in the open air museum. Several places there are benches with a nice view.

The Norwegian Olympic Museum is located in the visitor center at Maihaugen. The Olympic Museum is telling the history of the 1994 Winter Olympics, among other Olympic moments from all over the world.