Kistefos is one of Northern Europe’s largest sculpture parks for contemporary art. I spent a whole day there a few weeks back, and I have to say I’m really impressed! In this post I’m sharing a few photos I took, some descriptions of the place, and I also made a YouTube-episode about Kistefos.

NB! Kistefos is open April 30ish – October 16ish, but the sculpture park is available all year

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How to get to Kistefos?

Kistefos is just an hour drive north of Oslo. It’s easy to get there with a car, but can be a bit more tricky with public transport. There are a couple of options though. VY runs an express bus from Oslo to Kistefos on selected days during the season, and Finn Carlsen Turistbusser (only Norwegian website available) runs round-trip Oslo – Kistefos every other Wednesday during the season. Try calling them or sending an email to get more info.

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The Sculpture Park

At Kistefos you find more than 45 sculptures by significant contemporary artists. The first years all the artists were Norwegian, but today there are also sculptures and installations from well known international artists.

“All of Nature Flows Through Us” by Marc Quinn

Several of the sculptures are made specifically for the museum. Some are inspired by the area here, the nature and the history. It’s a nice experience to wander around in this tranquil area and seeing all these great pieces of art. Some are stunningly beautiful and advanced, some are playful and humorous and some are thought provoking and inspiring.

“A DEADLY SLUMBER OF ALL FORCES” by Ida Ekblad

The Kistefos Museum has won several prices. In 2020 it was awarded TripAdvisor’s “Travelers Choice”. Only given to 10% of the attractions in the world.

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Art Galleries & The Twist

At Kistefos you find two art galleries with contemporary art by highly recognized national and international artists. One of them is Nybruket Gallery, which is located in an old factory building. The other gallery, and the most famous one is located in the building called The Twist.

The Twist is perhaps the biggest attraction at the Kistefos Museum. This is world class architecture, designed by the danish architect firm Bjarke Ingels Group.

The Twist is a sculpture in itself. In addition to being an art gallery, it also serves as a bridge, and presents a spectacular view hovering over the Randselva river. At the mid way point it twists, and crosses the river in a 60 meter (180 feet) span. The Twist is best described as an illusion of curves. The fan shaped structure made up of long aluminium and wood panels look like they are bending. But on contrary to what the eye perceives, the Twist consists only of straight lines.

From the south side of the river you enter through a dramatic double height space into the gallery. There’s a clear sight from one side to the other. And as you walk through, the ceilings become walls, and walls turn into ceilings, as it twists 90 degrees. At the north end of the gallery there is a panorama view of the river and the surrounding landscape. It’s a real treat to see art in such an exciting environment!

“Point of View – Part 2” by Elmgreen & Dragset

Even a trip down to the restrooms offers a fun experience as a glass staircase leads you down to the lower level on the north riverbank. At the bottom is a full height glass wall. Bringing you close to the river. It’s a great place to sit and look out at the river and the “bending” construction of The Twist.

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The Industry Museum at Kistefos

At Kistefos you can find the remains of an old wood pulp mill, which was in use up to the year of 1955. Today it’s been transformed into a “living factory”. A museum where you can learn about the tools, the machines and turbins, and how the wood pulp was produced for the European paper industry. It’s fun to interact with the old machinery. And at the same time experience contemporary art inside these old and historical buildings. This is actually Scandinavia’s only intact wood pulp mill.

My Opinion about The Kistefos Museum

Kistefos is a museum that appeals to a broad audience. You can find something interesting for the whole family or a big group of people. There is great art, architecture, history, nature and various activities taking place for both kids and adults.

I highly recommend a visit to Kistefos. It’s ideal as a day trip from Oslo, or perhaps make a stop if you are driving from Oslo to Bergen.

Also, find the YouTube video from the Kistefos Museum here . Tusen takk, thanks a lot for reading this blog post! Please share it with anyone who might be interested.

Link: The Official Kistefos Museum Website

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