Page 628 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

626  SC ANDINA VIA

The Bygdøy Peninsula 9th-century longships. All three
were unearthed from burial
No trip to Oslo is complete without a visit to the Bygdøy mounds in Norway, and funeral
Peninsula, which lies off the western edge of the city. The goods from each of the vessels
area offers beaches, walking, numerous historic sites, and are on display, including
fascinating museums. These include a folk museum showing ceremonial sleighs, chests, and
tapestries. Viewing platforms
traditional ways of life, the Vikingsskipshuset, which traces allow visitors to study the
Norway’s maritime history, and others celebrating the famous magnificent 22 m by 5 m (72 ft
Norwegian explorers Roald Amundsen and Thor Heyerdahl. by 16 ft) Oseberg ship and the
slightly larger Gokstad boat,
both of which were discovered
0 Frammuseet on the western side of the
Bygdøynesveien 36. Tel 23 28 29 50. Oslofjord. Fragmented sections
@ 30. 4 Open daily. & of a smaller boat, the Tune,
∑ fram.museum.no remain much as they were
when they were found on the
Designed in 1892 by Scottish- eastern side of the fjord in 1867.
Norwegian shipbuilder Colin
Archer, the Fram is best known e Norsk
as the ship that carried Folkemuseum
Norwegian explorer Roald
Amundsen on his epic journey Museumsveien 10. Tel 22 12 37 00.
to the South Pole in 1911. @ 30. 4 Open daily. Closed Jan 1,
The Fram was an ideal vessel May 17, Dec 24, 25 & 31. & 7
for this undertaking. Its sides ∑ norskfolkemuseum.no
are perfectly smooth, making
it impossible for ice to get a Thor Heyerdahl’s vessel, Ra II, at the Established in 1894, this
grip on the hull. Visitors can Kon-Tiki Museum excellent attraction is devoted
ease themselves between the largely to Norwegian rural life,
remarkable array of beams in the Caribbean to prove that the and visitors should set aside half
the ship’s hull and marvel at the ancient peoples of Africa or a day to view the many (over
assortment of equipment – Europe might have had contact 150) restored buildings. These
ranging from a piano to surgical with South America. These, include barns, store houses, and
instruments – that the crew and other eventful sagas, are a splendid stave church (c.1200)
managed to take with them. outlined in the exhibition. with typical steep, shingle-
A series of fascinating displays covered roofs and dramatic
around the ship relate the w Vikingskipshuset dragon finials. The indoor
history of Arctic exploration. collections consist of displays
Huk Aveny 35. Tel 22 85 19 00. @ 30. of folk art, toys, folk dress, the
q Kon-Tiki Museum 4 Open daily. Closed public hols. playwright Ibsen’s study, and
a pharmacy museum. On
& 7 ∑ khm.uio.no
Bygdøynesveien 36. Tel 23 08 67 67. Sundays in the summer there
@ 30. 4 Open daily. Closed public Norway is best known for are displays of folk dancing,
hols. 7 & ∑ kon-tiki.no its Viking explorers, and this and guides demonstrate skills
museum contains three such as weaving tapestries or
On display at the superb beautifully preserved baking traditional flatbread.
Kon-Tiki Museum are the
unbelievably fragile-looking
vessels used by Thor Heyerdahl
to make his legendary journeys
across the Pacific and Atlantic
Oceans. The aim of his voyages
was to prove that trans-oceanic
contact was possible between
ancient civilisations. The
balsawood Kon-Tiki raft carried
Heyerdahl and a crew from
Peru to Polynesia in 1947,
confirming his theory that the
first Polynesian settlers could
have sailed from pre-Inca Peru.
In 1970, he sailed a papyrus
boat, Ra II, from Morocco to A reassembled turf-roofed house at the Norsk Folkemuseum
For hotels and restaurants see p632 and p633

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