Museet Hauges Minde

Info Telefon: +47 6933 5472

Festningsbyen og Fredrikstad Museum

Info Telefon: +47 6930 4478
Besucher-Email: tola@fredrikstad.kommune.no
http://www.fredrikstad.kommune.no/museet...

Frederikstad Museum

Ethnographical Museum

Roald Amundsen Senter

Info Telefon: +47 6934 8326

Borgarsyssel Museum

Fax.: +47 6915 6130

Info Telefon: +47 6915 5011
Besucher-Email: knut.draget@borgarsyssel.museum.no
http://www.museumsnett.no/borgarsyssel/...

Art Museum

Info Telefon: +47 6381 7433

Akershus County Museum

Fax.: +47 6380 6930

Info Telefon: +47 6380 6920
Besucher-Email: akersmus@online.no
http://www.museumsnett.no/afm...

Motor Museum Strømmen Storsenter

Fax.: +47 6380 3863

Info Telefon: +47 6380 2310

Kvinnemuseet og Kongsvinger Museum

Fax.: 62 88 82 99

Info Telefon: 62 88 82 94
Besucher-Email: post@kvinnemuseet.no
http://www.kvinnemuseet.no...

State of Norway

New postal address:
Gyldenborg, Kongsvinger Festning 2
2213 Kongsvinger
Norway

The history of the museum

Introduction

The first plans for the National Women's Museum at Rolighed was presented as early as 1989. With the help of funds from the Ministry for Administration and Consumers Affairs, earmarked for "information activities on politics related to women", a special consultant was employed to work in close cooperation with the employees and the board of directors of Kongsvinger Museum in order to develop an initial project named "Exhibition on women's History" at Kongsvinger Museum. This plan was the foundation upon which the Kvinnemuseet were being run during its first years.

In March 1997 the authorities of Hedmark County made a grant of NOK 300.000,- available for Kvinnemuseet. The funds were meant to finance a development plan and develop activities for the museum.

In December 1997 the Sub-comitee for Culture in Norways`s Parliament made a grant of NOK 1 million to Kvinnemuseet for the fiscal year of 1998.
In July 1998 the following message was received from the Ministry for Culture:
Kvinnemuseet is from now on a National Museum!
Another important date, October the 5th 1998, The National Women's Museum is listed among National Institutions in the 1999 State budget, sub-section 70.

Background

Since the official inaguration of Kongsvinger Museum in 1985, the Museum has arranged the following exhibitions related to women`s history:
1985: Exhibition of needle work.
1986: Pioneer women in Kongsvinger.
1987: The Dagny Juel week.
1988: A Lady Photographer in Kongsvinger.
1990: The Thomasine and Jonas Lie festival.

In 1989, the villa Rolighed, meaning "Peaceful Place", was bought by the Museum for the sum of NOK 600.000,-, and from then on Kvinnemuseet was a reality. The childhood home of Dagny Juel is one of the oldest houses in Swiss style in Norway, dating from 1857 it was acquired with sources from the Foundation for Culture Heritage and special funds from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage. The Minister for the Enviroment, Mrs. Sissel Rønbeck, also had an item on her part of the State Budget, which was earmarked for "Cultural artifacts connected to the life and activities of women".
In this way Kongsvinger Museum now had its disposal a large building, which could be "filled with women".
In the following years the building was refurbished and put in order. Although not fully restored, the building was taken into official use with an exhibition in the Summer of 1993: Women authors of the County Hedmark. (In connection with the 350th anniversary of the book)

It took six years to refurbish and restore the building. The total cost of the work was NOK 3.5 million, and was covered by grants from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the County Council of Hedmark, Kongsvinger Commune, the National Foundation for Cultural Buidlings, and various employment undertakings. The works ended in 1995, on a building consisting of 2 floors on a base of 300 square meters, in addition to its basement.

Kvinnemuseet was official opened by Her Majesty Queen Sonja on May the 31st 1995.

The first three years

1995: FATES OF WOMEN

In 1993 Kongsvinger Museum was invited to take part in a competition of national exhibition, which was organized by Norway's Research Council. The Museum won first price of NOK 375.000,- for its draft, thereby securing a financial basis for the realisation of its first major exhibition project. The wish of Norway Research Council was to contribute to a wider knowledge of women's research efforts. "Fates of women" is a presentation of the research works of Dr.Phil. Kirsten Danielsen. Her material is based on interviews with 45 older women, who are looking back upon their lives. "Fates of women" can thereby be seen as a cavalcade through the history of women in the 20th century. It is a screen based exhibition with text, pictures and objects. The woice of the women are heard by means of quotations from the interviews. The exhibition was widely covered in newspapers and weeklies, and was part of a popular news program on NRK TV called "Sommeråpent". As it is a rotation exhibition, there was an immediate reaction of interest from other institutions. In the Autumn of 1995 the exhibition was shown on its entirety in Oslo Bymuseum - the Museum of Oslo Town. During Winter 1996 it was shown on Voss Folkemuseum - the Folk Museum at Voss. For the opening of the summer season at Rolighed in 1996, the exhibition was moved to the second floor. In the Autumn that year it was on show for a seminar at Olavsgaard in the municipality of Skedsmo, a seminar which was under the auspices of Norges Landbrukshøgskole, i.e. the University of Agricultural Studies in Norway.

1996: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DAGNY JUEL.

As the legendary Dagny Juel is an essential part of the history of Rolighed, Kongsvinger Museum decided to present her in a separate summer exhibition. Thanks to funds from Hedmark County Concil, three representatives from the Museum were able to make a research journey in her footsteps in March 1996. They were able to collect new and interesting material, so that the exhibition - which was supported by Norway's Foundation for Culture, and Kongsvinger Commune - became a very much updated presentation of the life and work of Dagny Juel; as a writer and a cultural worker, and as as mother and wife.

One result of this exhibition project was that the museum received the voluminos collection of letters between Dagny's sister Ragnhild and her husband Helge Backstrøm. Kvinnemuseet is now in possesions of a vast collection of documents and material about Dagny Juel and her contemporaries.

1997: AND GOD CREATED WOMAN ON THE FEMALE BODY AND IDEALS OF BEAUTY.

The big exhibition of this year was also set up as a rotation exhibition. From November 1997 to March 1998 it was on display at Maihaugen- The National Folk Museum at Lillehammer. After that it was ordered by the Municipalities of Tynset and the Museum Center in Nord-Østerdalen. Later on it was on order from: Jærmuseum, Karmsund Museum, Sogn Folk Museum in Voss, Tromsø Museum and Drammen Museum.
The project has received financial support from the following sources: Norway's Foundation for Culture, the Olympic Games' Development Fund, the Ministry for Children and Family Affairs, Kongsvinger commune and Eckbo`s Foundation.
Kvinnemuseet has received financial support for the production of a publication to this exhibition from the Ministry for Social Affairs and Health Matters and Hedmark County Council. The web site and internett production of this exhibition was made possible by grants from Norsk Museumsutvikling - the Fund for the Development of Norway's Museums.

The main tasks of Kvinnemuseet.

-To present the history of women on women`s premises
-To give children and young people the possibility of getting to know their "mothers" in the past.
-To recognize and appreciate the efforts of anonymous women.
-To provide a broader appreciation of our cultural history, as seen in women`s perspective.

The Museum shall be a center for competence and documentation, built on the following fundamental principles:
-to document the history and culture of women, also from our own times
-to be an arena for women research
-to be a center of culture, with a comprehensive framework for the expression of arts and culture, which may please and enrich our local community and the country as a whole
-to develop national and internation networks.

There are many special museums in norway, which have their bases in the work and interests of our male society. For this reason there is a need in this country for a spesial museum, based on the history and perspective of women.
The first women's museum was established in Århus/Denmark in 1982. More institutions have emerged worldwide after this, among them the National Museum for Women in Vietnam, which was inaugurated in 1995. It is therefor long overdue to see a vigorous and prestigeous women's museum in this country, which prides itself of beeing a frontrunner when it comes to women's rights.
It is but natural that Kvinnemuseet should be located in the county of Hedmark, with its long traditions of strong and independent women. They were responsible for supporting the family and raising their children, while their husbands were away as timberjacks all week, or left for the capital of Oslo for work.
Today there are many women from prominent positions in the Civil Service, the National University for Women is also locaed in Hedmark County.
It is but natural that the foundation of a women`s museum should take place in Kongsvinger, renowned for her many women pioneers in the arts and academic professions.
The contributions of women are still not appreciated highly enough among people connected to Norwegian museums, as is generally the case in our society. The task of Kvinnemuseet is therefore to present the enormous efforts of women, past and present, in private as well as in public sector. The area of responsibilities for the museum is to bring to the forefront the important role of women in Norway's cultural history, up to the present day.
Even though the female perspective is to be stresses, the museum is not to be e place for women only. The cultural history of women is part of the complexity, which constitutes Norway's cultural history. The plight of women is part of a wider and more comprehensive description of our society and family life. For this reason it is important to see the history of women in the perspective of our whole history.

Ownership and organization

Kvinnemuseet shall be located in Kongsvinger, on the estate of Rolighed. Kvinnemuseet is part of Kongsvinger Museum, which has its base in "Åmodtgården" - the Åmodt villa. Both museums are located in the part of Kongsvinger town called "Øvrebyen", which consists of a quarter of well conserved wooden buildings, adjacent to the old fortress.
Kongsvinger Museum is a semi-public institution, and is part of the Museums in Solør-Odal (Glåmdal) and the Museums of Hedmarkd County. Kvinnemuseet shall as a national institution be established as a foundation with an independent board of directors.
Kvinnemuseet shall continue to work in close cooperation with Kongsvinger Museum.
Kongsvinger Museum and Kvinnemuseet will sign an agreement of cooperation, covering the following joint functions:
-Common locations for administrative offices
-Common locations for archives
-Joint administration for matters relating to personel and bursary matters
-Joint ticket and guide service

The premises at Rolighed cover in total an area of 900 square meters. For some years to come this will meet the needs for an exhibition area, meetings,seminars, the running of a café, offices, library, store rooms, photographic studio etc.
Kvinnemuseet is in the process of securing additional premises, in order to provide rooms for research workers and more offices in the future. Various projects are being evaluated in close cooperation with the administration of Kongsvinger town. A new building among the conserved houses of Øvrebyen would be a center for the joint administration of Kongsvinger Museum and Kvinnemuseet.