About us
The University Museum of Bergen is one of six national university museums and part of the University of Bergen (UiB). As a state university museum, it manages extensive scientific collections and serves as a regional centre of expertise and public engagement. Its academic fields span anthropology, archaeology, art and cultural history, botany, geology and zoology.
The history of the museum
The University Museum traces its roots back to Bergen Museum, founded in 1825, one of the institutions from which the University of Bergen grew. In 2025 the museum marked its 200th anniversary.
From the outset, the museum has built up scientific collections in natural and cultural history and has been a key arena for research, collecting and public engagement in Western Norway. The buildings at Muséplassen are part of this history.
Research at the museum
The University Museum carries out research in both natural history – biodiversity, systematics, evolution, palaeontology and geology – and cultural history, including archaeology, anthropology, and art and cultural history. The research draws on the museum's extensive scientific collections, which form an important national research infrastructure.