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Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden

New exhibition!

Hvaldimir's Journey

In 2019 a beluga whale in a harness showed up on off the coast of Finnmark. He quickly became a beloved character, and the Norwegian public named him Hvaldimir. In our newest exhibiton you can follow Hvaldimir on his journey along Norway’s coastline, like he was followed by the media, the public and scientists. Many wished to help Hvaldimir, but are there any dark sides to a wild animal living so close to humans?

Many questions remained when he passed away in 2024. Where he came from and how he died has since been answered, and is revealed by the exhibition, but maybe you have your own thoughts on Hvaldimir’s journey?

The exhibition will be open during the museum’s regular opening hours. It will remain on display until October 2028

Regular admission fees apply.

We are the only Natural History Museum in southern Norway. Our botanical garden is one of six botanical gardens in Norway. At the museum, you can observe Norwegian animals in lifelike environments, explore minerals, rocks, and thematic exhibitions. In the botanical garden, there is also a rock exhibition.

Bildet kan inneholde: blomst, anlegg, plantesamfunn, grønn, kronblad.

Welcome to the Garden Explorer!

You can now explore the plants in our botanical garden using an interactive map! Garden Explorer has been launched on our website and allows you to discover the living collection, whether you are at home or visiting the garden.

Please note that the interactive map is still under development. We are continuously working to add plants and related information. As a result, you may notice that some plants are missing, that certain details are incomplete, or that minor errors occur.

Thank you for your patience as our digital garden continues to grow!

Explore here!

Exhibition

The Value of a Life

This timeless and universal issue is addressed in our new exhibition, The Value of a Life. We invite the audience to challenge their understanding of how we as humans assess the value of species and nature. At the same time, we want to provide space for reflection on the fundamental principles underlying such evaluations, in addition to our general understanding of nature and sense of responsibility. What makes a species valuable? Does it have to be beneficial to us, or does it have intrinsic value?