Hedmark Museum
The Hedmark Museum (Hedmarksmuseet og Domkirkeodden in Norwegian) in Hamar, Norway is a regional museum for the municipalities of Stange, Hamar (which now includes Vang i Hedmark), Løten, and Ringsaker in central eastern Norway. It also includes the Cathedral Ruins in Hamar mentioned in Sigrid Undset's magnum opus on Kristin Lavransdatter.
Museum attractions
There are five noteworthy aspects to the museum:
- Its medieval section includes ruins of a cathedral that was originally built in Romanesque architecture and then converted to Gothic architecture, as well as remnants of a bishop's priory. The distinctive arches in the cathedral ruins have recently been covered in an ambitious construction project undertaken by the Norwegian government. The cathedral was never deconsecrated and remains under the religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church - weddings can only be performed there with the permission of the church. The medieval section also includes an active herb garden with plants in use during the Middle Ages.
- Its ethnological museum provides a good sense of how people in the Hedmark region lived from about the 16th century until the early 20th century. It includes buildings and courtyards collected from the entire Hedemarken region, many of which have been restored to early phases. A few of the buildings are available for rent for social purposes. Among other noteworthy buildings, the collection includes one of the finest 19th century residential homes from the area.
- It is an active archeological site, and visitors can see the state of the dig at any given time. Most of the medieval townsite is not yet excavated, and visitors can see remnants on a field outside the museum confines.
- Its structures have won architectural distinction. The medieval museum was designed by Sverre Fehn in concrete, wood, and glass to contrast with the stone structures of the medieval ruins. Since a barn was built on top of this, the architecture also seeks to both highlight the original medieval structure and the more recent farm buildings. Ramps provide the means to view the museum from above.
- It is co-located with a beautiful recreational area along the lake Mjøsa. The recreational area is open to the public and includes a bathing area, gravel walkways, grass lawns, and a long shoreline.
The museum also houses one of the largest photography collections in Norway, covering the entire region of Hedemarken since photography was introduced.
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