Kristiansand Museum
Open-air museum at Kongsgård
The open-air museum was founded in 1903, and in the late 1940s Kongsgård was chosen as its site. It includes the Minibyen model town and a café in Mørchs paviljong.
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The museum
Kristiansand Museum is an open-air museum on the Kongsgård estate. Almost 40 historic buildings stand on the grounds. The oldest is a storehouse, known in Norwegian as a "loft", from the 16th century.
A separate part of the site is given over to Minibyen, a model town. For a break, there is a café in Mørchs paviljong. The museum belongs to Vest-Agder-museet, the museum group that also runs the Kristiansand Cannon Museum at Møvik.
History
The museum was founded on 10 October 1903 as Kristianssands Folkemusæum, the sixth open-air museum in Norway. In 1906 the collection moved to Grimshaugen.
In the late 1940s Kongsgård was chosen as the new site. From 1952 the museum was called Vest-Agder Fylkesmuseum. Today it bears the city's name and is part of Vest-Agder-museet.
Gimle gård
Gimle gård is a merchant's estate built for Bernt Holm (1765-1829). The first part was built from 1797, the second from 1807. The estate has an English landscape garden.
Five generations lived at Gimle gård. The last owner, Ottilie Arenfeldt Omdal, died in 1982 and left the estate to the municipality. It has been open to the public since June 1985. It opens from late June to early August, Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00.
Natural history museum and botanical garden
The University of Agder's natural history museum is also on the Gimle gård grounds, at Gimleveien 27. Highlights include a cactus house and, until October 2028, the exhibition "Hvaldimirs reise". From 20 June to 20 August it opens daily from 10:00 to 16:00; the rest of the year it opens Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 15:00 and on Sundays from 12:00 to 16:00. Admission is free for under-18s and students.
The botanical garden is open around the clock and free of charge, so you can visit it outside museum hours too.
Visiting and practical information
By bus, take any of the lines M1 to M4 to the Bjørndalssletta stop. If you come by car, parking is free. The museum opens on Sundays from early May and every day from 22 June to 9 August.
For white wooden houses right in the city, head to the Posebyen district. You will find more museums and places to visit under Sights.