Fram Museum in Oslo Appears to Be One of Norway’s Finest Cultural Sites

The Gjøa vessel is another valuable artifact in this museum.

The mission of the Fram Museum in Oslo is to tell the story of Norwegian polar expeditions that were led by courageous adventurers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, and Roald Amundsen. The museum contains many artifacts from those expeditions. Also, the museum’s creators tried to show the life, flora, and fauna in the polar expeditions as well and exactly as it can be – visitors of this museum can notice polar bears and other animals that populate the South and North Poles. Visitors can also hear the sounds that might seem strange to them during their visit to the museum – those sounds are exactly the ones people usually hear in the North Pole.

But what makes this museum especially valuable is its main artifact – the Fram Vessel. The entire museum would barely attract many tourists without it. Besides, the tourists can even get aboard this vessel (though, don’t mind going upstairs to the third floor) and reach even the vessel’s bow from inside! While passing near the vessel’s cabins, visitors also get to see even more artifacts from the expeditions and personal belongings of the crew.

The idea to place this legendary (and you can find out why it is legendary a bit below) vessel in a museum came after all those grand expeditions, all of which were quite expensive, had been completed. Maintaining such a vessel is quite an expensive thing, but also the vessel should be functioning. At that time, there were barely any expeditions where such a ship could be used. Besides, pay attention to the form of this vessel – its massive upper part seems really to be hanging over a thin line (like a knife) at the bottom. Such a vessel’s form allowed it to avoid getting stuck in the ice – once a ship got stuck in the ice, its form prompted the vessel to pull itself up and continue the way. So it is not something surprising that such a vessel couldn’t be neglected – and the Norwegians, as for me, made the right choice.

Since 2009, the Fram Museum in Oslo has also housed another vessel – Gjøa, which was named after the wife of the ship’s owner. Later, Roald Amundsen purchased this vessel and was the first to traverse the Northwest Passage in just three years, finishing his journey in 1906. At the time he arrived back in Norway, it had already become an independent country (after the separation of the Union with Sweden in 1905), and Amundsen became a genuine hero for his compatriots.

Why Fram Museum in Oslo Is Worth Your Attention

You can freely get aboard the legendary vessel.

Fram Museum in Oslo is recommended for a visit not only to people who have a keen interest in shipbuilding or sea adventures but to everyone who may be interested in such adventures. Even seeing this unique vessel and getting inside of it is an inexpressible experience! The Fram Vessel appears to be the only vessel that has ever been to both the North and South Poles, as well as it was the first vessel to reach the South Pole.

The atmosphere in the building is, indeed, reminiscent of what you may feel at the North Pole – the sounds, artifacts, and even the temperature are (intentionally, of course) set a bit lower, so you feel the coolness while exploring everything in the museum. Even though the Gjøa ship is less popular than the Fram, it appears to be a pretty valuable exhibit, too.

After all, I would suggest visitors with kids enter the “horror room” on the second floor near the Fram – just press the red button and wait your time. Naturally, the room is quite short yet decorated quite nicely, and its theme is also connected with the North Pole – just don’t miss anything important and enjoy your visit.