Explore Norwegians' relationship with the sea through detailed exhibits covering transport and industry, the navy, and sailing for pleasure and competition. Norway's oldest-known boat is here – a 2200-year-old dugout canoe discovered in Sørum, just east of Oslo – and in the KLINK boat-building workshop you can see a craftsperson using traditional techniques to build a replica of a boat from the Gokstad find, which is on loan from the Museum of the Viking Age.
On the top floor there are excellent exhibitions aimed at children from youngsters to teens, touching on themes from life as a sailor and mythical sea creatures to modern cargo shipping and plastic pollution. In a separate building, the Boat Hall houses a collection of archaeological finds uncovered during the remodelling of the harbourfront, including the wreck of a cargo boat thought to be from the late 16th century.
