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National Museum of Norway
Photograph: Borre Hostland

This spectacular building is now home to the largest museum in the Nordics

The £500 million space has opened with an extravagant exhibit of 400 reindeer skulls

Sophie Dickinson
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Sophie Dickinson
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The Oslo art scene is having a bit of a moment. First a ten-storey gallery dedicated to local lad Edvard Munch opened on the city’s waterfront, and now it’s being joined by Norway’s spectacular new National Museum.

The 13,000-square-metre complex took a good six years to build, and cost a whopping £500 million (or $650 million). Inside, you’ll find the collections of three existing museums: the National Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. Most impressive of all is an opening exhibit comprising 400 dangling reindeer skulls, which was created by indigenous Sámi people.

The collection also contains some of Munch’s most famous works, including one version of ‘The Scream’ and ‘Madonna’. The public permanent collection includes 5,000 objects, covering everything from European landscapes to Chinese porcelain and modern light installations.

As for the building itself? It’s been dismissed as a ‘grey box’ by some critics, while others say it should provide a fitting home for the collection for decades. Us personally? We think it looks pretty swish. The roof terrace, with its views out over the city’s inner fjord, must be the highlight.

Fancy a visit? Tickets start from 180 Norwegian Krone (£15 or $18). Find out more on the official National Museum website

Did you see that this tour firm will take you on an exciting mystery trip around Norway?

Plus: take a look at this spectacular harbour pool in Norway.

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