Since the 1930s, the Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy has housed the richest collection of objects from the Viking Age that we know of today, including the three best-preserved Viking ships in the world. Several risk assessments for the collection have revealed that it should be secured in a new museum on the same site as the existing museum. After years of preparation, construction of the new Viking Age Museum began in 2023. At the groundbreaking ceremony in 2024, Statsbygg's CEO, Harald V. Nikolaisen, stated that "This is one of the most important construction projects of our time. Today, the museum, which will secure and showcase Norway's most important cultural treasures, takes a significant step forward.".

Nevertheless, the journey to the new museum passes through challenging waters for the Viking ships. In addition to the ships, the very fragile sledges from the Oseberg find will also be kept in the existing museum during the construction period. It was simply too risky to move them away from the area. But what can these iconic cultural treasures really withstand? How will they be secured during the construction period, and not least how will they be moved into the new museum? In addition, a long-term conservation strategy must be developed for the future.

The project "Safeguarding of objects" (SGO) is an interdisciplinary project with specialized disciplines working on solutions to these challenges. It is a collaborative project between the Museum of Cultural History, UiO, and Statsbygg. The project has made significant ground-breaking work for working with large, complex structures in archaeological wood.

David Hauer is the responsible conservator for the SGO project, which includes securing, moving and long-term conservation strategy for the sledges and Viking ships. He works on method development for the analysis of complex wooden structures, risk analyses and conservation strategy at the Museum of Cultural History. He has extensive knowledge of the field and contributes to international networks.

It is not necessary to register, but if you would like some catering before the event, you must register via the link below no later than two days before:

Det blir enkel servering i museets kafé fra kl. 16.00 for de som har forhåndspåmeldt seg.

The museum is open until 7:00 PM (11:00 PM for those over 18).