Culture: Museums, books and TV shows

Visit the museums

Norsk Folkemuseum

The largest museum of cultural history in Norway. It is an open-air museum that presents how people lived in Norway from 1500 to the present. It has 160 buildings collected from all around the country to represent different regions, time periodes and social classes.

Go to Norsk Folkemuseum for more information

Akershus Fortress

A fortress with a medieval castle that was build to protect and provide a royal residence. It is believed that construction started taking place around the late 1290s. When visiting the fortress you can learn about the history of The city of Oslo, as well as the history of Denmark-Norway. It is also the Royal Mausoleum and is the final resting place of a number of Norwegian royal figures.

Go to Akershus Fortress for more information

Watch Norwegian movies and TV series

The entertainment industry reflects the society it originates in. Watching films, documentaries and TV-series widen your cultural understanding and gives you common reference points. Ask people for recommendations for Norwegian productions and use Norwegian subtitles for extra language practice.

The Norwegian Film Institute has a database over Norwegian films and TV series.

NRK TV

NRK TV is free and publicly funded. They have several channels: NRK 1, NRK 2, NRK 3 and NRK Super for children. You get access through regular TV or through their app. You might find these programmes interesting when you have learned enough Norwegian, as NRK only publishes with Norwegian subtitles:

• Sånn er Norge (This is Norway) – an entertaining documentary series about Norwegian self-perception
• Norge rundt (Around Norway) – a long running documentary series with local stories from around the country
• Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu (Where no one would believe that people live) – a long running documentary series about people living in odd places in Norway

Go to NRK TV

Go to the NRK archive on their web site or in the app to see both older and recent Norwegian TV shows and movies.

Read or listen to books

Find books and blogs about Norwegian culture and society. You will also be able to find many podcasts and audiobooks. Popular commercial apps to listen to audiobooks are Storytel and Fabel.

Deichman – the public library

There are many local libraries in Oslo. They have books, films, music, newspapers, magazines and internet access. They also organise talks, homework help, language cafés and other events.

Go to Deichman for a full view of their offer (mainly in Norwegian)

Stories from Oslo

Popular litterature where the story is set in Oslo.

• Beatles by Lars Saabye Christensen (translated to many languages)
• Lillelord by Johan Borgen (translated to many languages)
• Tante Ulrikkes vei by Zeshan Shakar

Entertaining books about Norwegian and Nordic culture

• A frog in the fjord: One Year in Norway by Lorelou Desjardins
• Where babies sleep outside: raising children in Norway by Cécile Moroni
• The 100 unwritten Norwegian social laws by Egil Aslak A. Hagerup

• The Social Guidebook to Norway: An Illustrated Introduction by Julien Bourrelle

• The Social Guidebook to Norway: Friendships and Relationships by Julien Bourrelle

• Don't be a Nordic - why embracing the scandi lifestyle won't change your life by Jo Hoare
• Xenophobe's guide to the Norwegians - a frank and funny look by Dan Elloway
• The almost nearly perfect people - behind the myth of the scandinavian utopia by Michael Booth
• The Nordic theory of everything - in search of a better life by Anu Partanen
• The Norwegian hytte - the essential guide to the great Norwegian hytte by Jenny K. Blake
• Brown cheese please – Norway inside out from the outside in by Jenny K. Blake
• Norsk, ikke sant? Norge, nordmenn and all things norsk by Jenny K. Blake The Norway way
• The essential guide to Norway & the Norwegians by Jenny K. Blake

For general information:

• Regjeringen.no - information about politically important topics
• Samfunnskunnskap.no - webpage with the curriculum for the Norwegian social studies test for immigrants (in Norwegian)
• Store Norske Leksikon - online encyclopedia (in Norwegian)
• Royalcourt.no - Learn about the Norwegian Royal Family

Read interesting in depth articles

• Info Norden at Norden.org – practical information about the Nordic countries, filtered by Norway
• Nordics.info - articles contributed by the University of Oslo (UiO) and 5 other Nordic universities.