2027 is marked to be the year for the opening of a new Viking Museum in Oslo. The Museum will be called the Museum of the Viking Age and will be an extension of the current Viking Ship Museum. It will be three times the size of the current museum and will showcase Viking ships and artifacts in an inspiring and modern way, to keep the heritage alive for years to come.
One of the main reasons for the new museum is to safeguard the incredible ships and other discoveries in a climate-regulated building , specifically designed to present the treasures within. The new museum will also include added features for the public, such as a museum shop, restaurant, lecture hall, and research center.
Photo Credit: Mårten Teigen, Museum of the Viking Age
A major challenge to overcome in the construction of the new museum was how to move the ships to their new exhibition areas. Years of planning and careful considerations went into the planning of their big move. Perhaps most exciting to the professionals tasked with the move was the relocation of the Gokstad Ship. The Gokstad Ship is the world’s largest preserved Viking Ship, and it weighs about one ton more than the Oseberg Ship, which was also housed in the Viking Ship Museum.
On October 29th, 2025, the Gokstad was successfully relocated to its new home. Incredibly, the ship was moved in one piece, whereas for a prior move – one hundred years ago – it was divided into two. It proved to be extra challenging as it rested on fewer supports than the Oseberg ship and had a fragile stem that required an additional cover. The ship was secured by custom steel rigs that helped to reduce vibrations during construction and during the move. It took about 10 hours to slowly, slowly move the ship from the old museum building to the new one, about 94 meters in total. It was transported with a crane track in the ceiling and eventually lowered down onto its new base.
Museum Director Aud V. Tønnessen was very happy with the entire process saying, “Even though the relocation of the Gokstad Ship was more complex, everything has gone according to plan, and we are very pleased with yet another successful relocation.”
Though the museum doesn’t open for another year, the wait will be well worth it. For a sneak peek of the space and how the ships were moved, enjoy this informative video that takes you behind the scenes.