2011THE FRAM MUSEUM

THE FRAM MUSEUM IN 2011

The Fram Museum celebrates three major anniversaries in 2011: It is 150 years since famous explorer and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen was born (10/10), it is the hundred years anniversary of Roald Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition (14/12) and it is the Fram Museum’s 75th anniversary.

We will celebrate all these events, but also undertake a comprehensive modernization of the museum and ensure that the polar ship Gjøa finally gets her own house.

NB! The Fram Museum will be closed for renovation from the 10th of January till the 20th of February.

Gjøa finally in her own houseAfter Roald Amundsen’s conquest of the Northwest Passage in 1906, his ship the Gjøa has been the subject of tremendous interest from far and near. In 2011 it is 102 years since the Gjøa was pulled ashore in San Francisco and exhibited to the public for the first time. The last hundred years it has again and again been discussions about the Gjøa’s condition, the lack of maintenance and the possibility of having her in her own building, just like the polar ship Fram. In the same period, the Gjøa has been through several major restoration processes to protect her from the weather, vandalism and thefts from souvenir hunters.

In May 2009 we entered into an agreement with the Norwegian Maritime Museum that the Fram Museum takes over the responsibility for the Gjøa. This gave the Fram Museum an opportunity to develop a more integrated Norwegian polar museum and ensures the future of the Gjøa. It will also help to develop Bygdøy and Bygdøynes as a Norwegian maritime center.

In this regard, the Norwegian Central Office of Historic Monuments (Riksantikvaren) stated in a letter dated 27th of April 2009: “In view of the vessel’s history as the first through the Northwest Passage, it is of national importance that the Gjøa is secured as a cultural monument for future generations. This is best done by giving her protection in a building that can prevent the degradation that naturally occurs when a vessel is exposed to fluctuating weather conditions, fresh water, frost and sunshine throughout the year.” The planning and application process for this new building is underway, and we expect a municipal decision on the matter in the spring of 2011. The new Gjøa building will be ready by the end of 2012. In connection with the relocation of the Gjøa, we have started planning for a new comprehensive restoration of the ship. Most of this will take place after the ship is put into its new permanent home next to the Fram Museum. After restoration, the public will for the first time be able to get a full opportunity to go aboard the Gjøa. Along with the Fram the Gjøa represents some of the proudest moments in Norway’s maritime and polar history. Their stories will now to a much greater extent be perceived by the public in a bigger and modernized Fram Museum. With the Gjøa we get the chance to tell all the incredible stories of the exploration of the Northwest Passage, from the first attempt in 1497 and Jens Munk in 1619, via John Franklin’s disastrous expedition in which two ships and 129 men disappeared without a trace, and up to Roald Amundsen’s successful crossing in the years 1903-06. With the current international focus on the situation in the polar regions, it would be natural for the Fram Museum to have exhibitions about the climate situation, the melting ice, the Northwest Passage, the Arctic indigenous peoples, the endangered species, and not least Norway’s international importance in today’s polar research. This will be of great value to school children, students and Norwegian institutions alike, as well as to both Norwegian and foreign visitors to our museum.

For the tourist industry in Oslo the lack of public toilets is a big problem. This is especially true for Bygdøynes. With large and modern toilet facilities at the Fram Museum, this situation will be much better and makes it easier for the many tourists to Oslo and Bygdøy.

Upgrading of the Fram building With almost 300 000 visitors the Fram Museum is one of the most visited attractions in the Oslo area. During 2010 we insulated the building, so that both winter and summer temperatures are far better than before. In 2011 we will offer our visitors new permanent exhibitions and much better facilities than today. The entrance, the reception desk and the museum store will be brand new, we establish new and wider stairs and escape routes, and we are installing elevators and higher railings.

We are making a new and exciting exhibition on the first Fram Expedition and on the South Pole Expedition. An increased focus will also be found on Otto Sverdrup and on other polar explorers. Also pioneers C.A. Larsen, Borchgrevink and Astrup will have their place in the new museum.

After modernization, the Fram Museum will be an even better option for those who have little time available and for those who want to spend the whole day to dig further into our incredible polar history.

As you might have noticed, the construction work has already begun. We have chosen to stay open for much of the construction period when many travel from afar to come on board the Fram. The ship will be available throughout the construction period, although some parts of the exhibition areas will be closed for shorter periods of time.

2011

In addition to building a new museum, the Fram Museum is heavily involved in the Nansen-Amundsen-year 2011.

With fantastic help from our transcribing Oslo guides, we are publishing all the personal diaries from the South Pole Expedition in Norwegian and English. This includes Hjalmar Johansen, Olav Bjaaland, Oscar Wisting, Sverre Hassel, Thorvald Nilsen, Jørgen Stubberud and Ludvik Hansen. We will also publish all of Fridtjof Nansen’s diaries, and the diaries of the crew members of the First Fram Expedition. This is a huge task, but we hope to be finished during the anniversary year. Our diary project will continue in the coming years.

In addition to new exhibitions on the first Fram Expedition and on the South Pole Expedition, our exhibitions Cold Recall and Fridtjof Nansen - Humanitarian and Scientist will be touring overseas. So far these are confirmed countries: Canada, USA, Italy, Switzerland, Finland and Denmark.

The Fram Museum will also display a large collection of artefacts from Robert Scott’s South Pole expedition. This is a co-operation project with the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge that is launching its own exhibition about Roald Amundsen and the Norwegian expedition.

Each month, from March 2011 to March 2012, we will have special lectures on Nansen open to the public on our premises. Each lecture will include a new side of Fridtjof Nansen. The lectures will be announced in Aftenposten and on the Fram Museum’s new website www.frammuseum.no. On the new website you can also follow the journey to the South Pole from day to day 100 years after. Every day new diary entries from the crew of the Fram will appear. On our website you can also read more about the different crew members, download the Fram Museum’s exhibition books, as well as keeping yourself updated on what is happening at the museum in the anniversary year.

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary 2011!

FrammuseetBygdøynesveien 36

0286 Oslo