It took ten years to plan and ten hours to do: on September 9, 2025, the 1,200-year-old Oseberg ship moved 106.5 meters (about 116 yards) to its new home inside Norway’s Museum of the Viking Age. NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, has the full video; the museum’s website has a one-minute version. Oseberg is one of three well-preserved Viking ships the new museum will house.
The Original Museum
The original museum building, which will be incorporated into the new museum, opened in 1926. The Arnstein Arneberg design was slated to host 40,000 visitors a year. With the increase in popularity of Vikings in general and the Oseberg ship specifically, the old location lacked the ability to provide adequate access for the number of visitors that wanted to see the ships. Before the museum closed it was seeing over 500,000 visitors annually. The museum also did not provide enough protection for the fragile artifacts.
The New Building
The ship’s new home offers less dust, a steadier climate and, most important, a floor isolated from vibration, preserving it for future visitors.
“We plan for good conditions for at least a century ahead. After that, future generations will take over the baton,” says conservator David Hauer of the Museum of the Viking Age, who was responsible for the move.
The Oseberg Ship Move
The Oseberg ship move took a decade to plan. The ship contains about 90% original wood, and each process used in lifting the ship, moving it, and placing it in the new location had to be tested before the work could begin. During the move, the ship traveled up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) a minute. In some places, it had a clearance of mere millimeters from the walls of the old museum. Next up is the Gokstad ship and after that, the Tune ship. The most fragile objects are sleds, which will be the final artifacts moved.
Delayed Opening
The museum was originally scheduled to open in 2026. Budget cuts and the challenge of preserving Oseberg and the other ships and artifacts pushed the date back; the museum now plans to reopen in November 2027.
Related Posts
Read about the Oseberg ship and its history and check out our interview about the Oseberg ship move with the Museum of the Viking Age.
Sources
- Museum of the Viking Age, Everything you need to know about the Museum of the Viking Age
- Museum of the Viking Age, We Celebrate a Successful Move
- Museum of the Viking Age, The Oseberg ship has finally arrived home!
