Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Lillehammer (Norway). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Maihaugen, Lillehammer Church, and Garmo stave church. Also, be sure to include Lillehammer Art Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Lillehammer (Oppland).
Table of Contents
Maihaugen
Open-air museum with old and new buildings. Maihaugen is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lillehammer, Norway. Maihaugen, with close to 200 buildings, is one of Northern Europe's largest open-air museums and is one of the largest cultural facilities in Norway.[1]
Address: Maihaugvegen 1, 2609 Lillehammer
Lillehammer Church
Parish church in Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the town of Lillehammer. It is the church for the Lillehammer parish which is the seat of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti in the Diocese of Hamar. The red, brick church was built in a long church design in 1882 using plans drawn up by the architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer. The church seats about 650 people.[2]
Garmo stave church
Also known as: Garmo stavkirke
Church in Lillehammer, Norway. Garmo Stave Church is a stave church situated at the Maihaugen museum at Lillehammer in Innlandet, Norway. Garmo Stave Church at Maihaugen is one of the most visited stave churches in Norway.[3]
Address: Maihaugvegen 1, 2609 Lillehammer
Lillehammer Art Museum
Also known as: Lillehammer Kunstmuseum
Art gallery in Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer Art Museum is an art gallery located in Lillehammer, Norway.
The museum was founded in 1921 as a gift from merchant Einar Lunde. It has three main collections: one consisting of over 100 paintings from adherents of the Matisse school, donated by Einar Lunde from the 1920s. In 1958, antique dealer Oscar Johannesen donated his entire collection from the 19th century. In 2008, Jon Dobloug donated major parts of his collection including 159 paintings dating from the 1980s and 1990s.
The older part of the collection, pictures donated by Lunde and Johannessen, is mainly found in the building designed by architect Erling Viksjø, which was completed in 1963. The newer building (Flygelet) was designed by the architecture firm Snøhetta and opened to the public in 1992. During the 1994 Winter Olympics, this building served as the main venue for cultural activities.[4]
Address: Stortorget 2, 2609 Lillehammer
Norwegian Olympic Museum
Also known as: Norges Olympiske Museum
Museum in Lillehammer, Norway. Norwegian Olympic Museum is located at Maihaugen in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Norwegian Olympic Museum shows the history of the Olympic Games in ancient and modern times, with a focus on the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo and 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer. Olympic highlights are presented through interactive installations, multimedia presentations and stories related to authentic objects. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also displays temporary exhibitions with a theme related to sports history and athletic achievements. Paralympics and the Youth Olympics have their own sections in the museum.
The Norwegian Olympic Museum was officially opened by King Harald V and Queen Sonja on November 27, 1997, in Håkons Hall. The museum was reopened as a new modern museum at Maihaugen in 2016. The museum has interactive installations, multimedia presentations and original objects. It is the only museum in northern Europe that presents the entire history of the Olympic Games. The museum has a collection of more than 7,000 Olympic items in all.
“The stories in the museum can be important for young persons because they can inspire them to stay in sports”. Bjørn Dæhlie, Olympic gold medalist[5]
Address: Kleivbakken 9, Lillehammer
Norsk Kjøretøyhistorisk Museum
Museum
Address: Lilletorget 1, 2615 Lillehammer
Lillehammer Municipality
Lillehammer Municipality is the local government for Lillehammer, Norway. The administration is located in the town of Lillehammer.
The municipality is governed by a 47-member municipal council, which is led by Mayor Espen Granberg Johnsen. The municipal administration is led by Annar Skrefsru.[6]
Bjerkebæk
Bjerkebæk was Sigrid Undset's home in Lillehammer. The home is today a museum.
The author and Nobel Prize winner Undset moved to Bjerkebæk in 1919 and lived there until her death in 1949 with the exception of the war years 1940-45 where she stayed in the United States. Undset developed the property in the period from 1919 to 1924 with the relocation of an old log house from Gudbrandsdalen and with the establishment of gardening facilities on the property.
Undset gave the home name after the archeske "Mr Bjerkebek" in the Danish author Erik Bøghs Vaaudeville a Caprice from 1858.
The farmhouse was protected in 1983 and Bjerkebæk is now owned by the state by the Ministry of Culture, and the operational responsibility was transferred to Maihaugen, from 2011 Lillehammer Museum. Work on restoring and decorating the houses as they were in the 1930s, in Undset's time, was started in 1997.
The audience building at Bjerkebæk was opened in May 2007. It was designed by Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk and contains exhibitions, book café and lecture room. The foundation of the service building/public building was closed down on March 27, 2006 by Queen Sonja.
Address: Sigrid Undsets veg 16, 2615 Lillehammer
Norsk vegmuseum
Museum, History museum
Address: Hunderfossveien 757, Lillehammer
Kulturhuset Banken
Address: Kirkegata 41, 2609 Lillehammer
Lillehammer University College
Also known as: Høgskolen i Lillehammer
University in Norway. Lillehammer University College was a state university college located at Storhove in Lillehammer, Norway. It was merged with Hedmark University College to become the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in 2017.[7]
Address: Gudbrandsdalsvegen 350, Lillehammer