KODE 1

Bergen


Reopened in 2017 after two years of renovation works, this impressive museum makes a good place to start your explorations of KODE's collection. Two new exhibitions have been unveiled for the reopening: one showcasing Norwegian gold and silverwork, and the other exploring the eclectic arts and antiques hoard amassed by 19th-century collectors William and Anna Brugh Singer. There's also another new exhibition covering the art of Queen Sonja of Norway, herself a keen amateur artist and inveterate collector.

The revamp has also added a series of new glass-fronted shelves, made to look like a museum's store cupboard, that are loaded with fascinating treasures, with a new China Collection exhibition to follow in late 2017.

The building itself has an interesting history: originally known as 'Permanenten', the museum was built in 1896 for the Bergen National Fair.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bergen attractions

1. KODE

A catch-all umbrella for Bergen's art museums, KODE showcases one of the largest art-and-design collections in Scandinavia. Each of the four buildings has…

2. KODE 2

0.03 MILES

KODE 2 hosts several temporary exhibitions every year, as well as a contemporary art collection with a focus on Norwegian and Scandinavian artists from…

3. Bergen Kunsthall

0.08 MILES

Bergen’s major contemporary-art institution hosts significant exhibitions of international and Norwegian artists, often with a single artist's work…

4. KODE 3

0.12 MILES

KODE 3 is all about Edvard Munch: overall, the collection here is arguably even better than Oslo's Munch Museum. The rooms are fabulously intimate:…

5. KODE 4

0.17 MILES

Modern-art aficionados will want to make a beeline to KODE 4, which is home to a large permanent collection of European Modernist works including the odd…

6. Natural History Collection

0.22 MILES

This small museum is closed for renovations until 2019, which should add new galleries and updated displays.

7. Leprosy Museum

0.29 MILES

This rather macabre museum details Norway's contributions to leprosy research, including the work of Dr Armauer Hansen, who discovered the leprosy…

8. Cultural History Collection

0.3 MILES

This history museum is part of the Bergen Museum, and explores a panoply of mainly Norwegian topics – from artefacts of Inuit and Aleut culture, through…