What to do and see in Aust-Agder, Southern Norway: The Best Specialty Museums

Norway's only peat museum covering production from 1896 to present day, powered by a steam engine from 1907.

Naes Ironworks Museum is located in Tvedestrand, Southern Norway. This is the only one of the old ironworks in Norway where most of the production buildings and equipment are preserved. The most important part of the museum is the blast furnace and the forge. The mechanical workshop has historical exhibitions. The operations at Naes date back to 1665. The ironworks gives a unique opportunity to see how an ironworks was organized, how people lived and worked at there, and how iron and steel were produced. Then visitors get a guided tour inside the production facilities, where the guide tell about how the work was done and demonstrate the rebuilt bellows. In addition to regular tours, the ironworks has many events and activities during the season. Nes Verk is a special national attraction, and a walk along the river Storelva, in the park and on the golf course gives a good picture of this historical area. Guided tours every hour from 11-16 in the summer season.

Dømmesmoen, the beautiful park in which the museum is located, is abundant in flowers, towering trees providing cool, shady areas and heritage dating back to prehistoric times. Furthermore, the museum grounds comprise beds of roses and herbs, as well as an apple orchard featuring a number of Norwegian varieties. The museum contains three exhibitions. The newest has been named "Bees and flowers - the ecological interplay". The display focuses interaction between bees and flowers, and the importance of this balance in order for us to be able to harvest numerous fruits and berries. Museum shop and cafe.

Et helt nytt sjøfartsmuseum så dagens lys i Hasseldalen i april 2015. Sjøfartsmuseet i Aust-Agder ligger i naturskjønne omgivelser i Hasseldalen i moderne lokaler vendt ut mot Vikkilen. I Hasseldalen har det vært verft og rederivirksomhet i over 150 år. Hasseldalens og Aust-Agders viktige sjøfartshistorie blir i dag fortalt i museet. Vi har utstillinger, museumsbutikk, og historiske omgivelser å tilby til våre besøkende.

Henrik Ibsen came to Grimstad in 1843/44 to start his apprenticeship with apothecary Reimann. He stayed for 6 years, and when he left in spring 1850 it was as the author of the play "Catilina". The museum focus on the period before he achieved success and world fame. Topics such as how Ibsen made a living when his apprenticeship ended, his dire financial situation, the people who inspired him, the love stories and the son born out of wedlock all form part of the exhibition. The very pharmacy in which Ibsen worked is still intact. A museum shop is available.

Built around the year 1700, presents a large number of old utility articles from the old Hovag. The mill at Isefjaer, Kornbrekke Saw Mill between Troe & Kornbrekke. Build in the 18th century. Demonstrations of the saw can be arranged in the autumn on request. The big summer event with a bazaar takes place on Saturday 7 July, 15.00-17.00. Open by appointment.

Eydehavn Museum displays the industrial history of Eydehavn and the new industrial times after 1913. The two cornerstone companies Arendal Smelteverk AS and Det norske nitridatieselskap (Nitriden) plays a central part in the exhibitions as they catch a glimpse of life at home and at work. In addition the exhibitions contains topics such as housing conditions, social life and political activity . We also have a restored, fully equipped apartment from the 1920s, Maren Aanonsens collection of older domestic utensils and our temporary exhibitions. The museum has an outdoor exhibition located in the neighbourhood. The exhibition is based on street names with personal names and provides an insight into the history of Eydehavn through these people. The exhibition is open throughout the year.

The location of the museum is idyllic, on the old outport and beautiful island of Merdø. The island is worth a visit to those who want to experience the nature, old coastal culture, or just enjoy themselves in cosy surroundings. The part of the island facing Skagerrak is rocky, scattered with pebbles and boulders, and has a fantastic view both summer and winter. Merdø was one of the most important outports in Sørlandet, with a customs station, pilot station, school, shop and post office. The Merdøgaard museum is a small coastal farm with a main building from 1736, kept as it was in about 1800. The museum offers tours in Norwegian every full hour during the summer season. Merdøgaard museum is a department of Aust-Agder kulturhistoriske senter, the county museum. Ferry to the island goes from Pollen in Arendal.

The Setesdal Museum at Rysstad - a journey through the culture, history and traditions of Setesdal. The museum features a small souvenir shop and offer light snacks. “What we used to wear in Rabyggjelaget” - the museum’s most recent exhibition. Rabyggjelaget is the old name of Aust-Agder’s inner and western villages. Although the exhibition provides snapshots of everyday life, main emphasis is on special occasions such as christenings, confirmations and weddings. Mannequin tableaux, with supplementary information and an abundance of pictures, help bring the past back to life. Do not miss the film “A different Setesdal”, which shows that the locals were not only concerned with the past. Never had the Setesdal people been as influential in public life as in the decades leading up to and after the year 1900. “Hydropower Development in Setesdal”focuses on more recent history. Above anything else, it is hydropower development that has provided the basis for progress in the valley over the past century. For better or worse, the valley depends on the use of natural resources to provide the wider society with electricity. The environment has suffered, but people have been given work and income opportunities they otherwise would have been without. The Summer 2011 Exhibition will present the works of the pictorial artist Hans-Georg Kohler. In his last exhibition, at the Gallery Semmingsen in Oslo, he received excellent reviews for his works, in which he honours the victims of the Afghan war. Suffering in war is one of the reasons for the artist family Kohler’s migration from Germany to Setesdal almost 40 years ago. The exhibition is also retrospective and has a local connection, as it portrays previous and new works by Hans-Georg Kohler, his father Hans Kohler and his mother Heide Weiss Kohler, as well as other family members.

A fun and educational experience for the whole family! In addition to our exhibition area, we also have fun science-activities. Se our website for the daily program. You find the Science Center at the quay in the center of Arendal, and our mini-Science Center in Kristiansand, in the main street. Welcome!