The Armed Forces Museum of Norway (

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

: ''Forsvarsmuseet - The Defence Museum'') is located at

Akershus Castle Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress ...

(Building 62) in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. Previously it was named Hærmuseet, ''The Army Museum'' (even earlier the Artillery Museum), therefore, the museum consists of mostly army materiel. The Armed Forces Museum is the main museum sorting under the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum superstructure.

The museum's history and focus

The museum was created in 1946 when two former military museums were merged, the

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

Museum (established in 1860) and the Intendant Museum (created in 1928), under the name Hærmuséet. At first the museum was open only to military personnel, but was opened to the public in 1978 by

King Olav V Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

under the name of the Armed Forces Museum. The museum is located inside the Castle Square, in one of the old military arsenals from the 1860s. The main purpose of the museum is to show the Norwegian military history from the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

to the present, and the museum consists of six departments: *The ancient times, military history from the Viking era to 1814. *1814 – 1905, military history from 1814 to 1905. *1905 – 1940, military history from 1905 to 1940. *1940, military history from 1940 to 1945, focusing on the land battles of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. *Naval battles, military history from 1940 to 1945, focusing on naval battles of World War II. *After the war, military history from 1945 to present. In addition, there are periods of special exhibitions. In addition to promoting Norwegian military history (especially for school groups), the museum's mission is to be the main military museum.

External links

The Defence Museum - official site

The Armed Forces Museum
www.visitnorway.com {{Authority control Museums in Oslo Military and war museums in Norway Museums established in 1946 1946 establishments in Norway Museums established in 1978 1978 establishments in Norway

The museum's history and focus

See also

External links