Would you like to gain some fascinating insights about Helgeland? One of the best ways to do so is to visit Helgeland Museum. Actually it’s not just one museum – there are 18 museum facilities spread throughout the region. Each highlights some aspects of Helgeland’s history, cultural heritage or natural history.
These 18 museums, as well as various other worthwhile exhibitions, will give you a deeper understanding of the people who live here, their livelihoods and traditions, and the landscape that surrounds them.
See the museums
Grønsvik coastal fortress, Lurøy
If you want to see an unusual attraction and gain insights into World War II history, we recommend a visit to the old German coastal fortress at Grønsvik, which is now a museum. As you walk from the attractive parking lot and picnic area, you enter a dark chapter of European history.
Bergh-brygga and Gammelskolen in Leirfjord
Leirfjord Museum is located in the old Bergh-brygga at Leland. Also, make sure to visit the beautiful Gammelskolen, which was in operation until the mid-1950s. Welcome to a journey through time!
Bindal Museum and the old croft at Vassås
Bindal Museum at Terråk documents local forestry, boatbuilding and other wood-working traditions. It contrasts past and present practices. The museum also includes Bindal Bygdetun, an open-air museum at an authentic old croft at Vassås, 2.5 km north of Terråk.
Løkta Museum
Be sure to visit Løkta Museum, beautifully located on the west side of the island. Here, you can experience what life was like on a small farm in the old days. The area is open to all and features a picnic area, a fire pit, and a small outhouse.
The Petter Dass Museum
At Alstahaug you will find a museum and a church that highlight centuries of the cultural and architectural history of Northern Norway. Moreover, the area is rich in cultural monuments and is a popular hiking area for both locals and tourists. The Petter Dass Museum and Alstahaug were chosen as Nordland County’s venues to celebrate the dawning of a new millennium.
Ristning-Tjaalege, Vevelstad museum and bygdetun
Not far from the Forvik ferry terminal lies the new museum building Ristning–Tjaalege and the local heritage site, side by side with Vevelstad Church. Around the museum, you can find intriguing ancient monuments such as rock art (petroglyphs) and burial mounds from the Iron Age.
Hattfjelldal Museum
In Hattfjelldal it is Fjellfolkets Hus (House of the mountain people) which is the museums home base. Here you’ll find great exhibitions and disseminations services about the place. In the house there is also a Tourist Information Office, a café, accommodation and place for meetings and events.
Arctic Circle Classic Motorcycle museum
Visit a one-of-a-kind museum where vintage motorcycles meet a dramatic northern Norwegian setting. This unique museum combines a passion for two-wheelers with local World War II history, and is located in Storforshei, just north of Mo i Rana.
Herøy Bygdesamling – A rural museum
This rural museum, situated on the beautiful island of Herøy in Helgeland, documents the local culture and history. The museum consists of a compete farmstead, altogether seven buildings dating from the period 1745–1890, all of which are protected or listed as worthy of preservation.
Sømna Bygdetun – An open-air museum
Sømna Bygdetun highlights how the lives of fishermen-farmers and their families changed in the course of the years 1800–1950.
