The Fram

The Fram Museum is a

top-rated attraction in

Oslo - it’s the best

museum I have visited.

The museum tells the story of Norwegian polar exploration and the nation's polar heroes. Its two buildings display two original polar ships, the Gjøa and the Fram, that were used to explore the two most hostile regions in the world, the Arctic and the Antarctic.

The Fram

This is the actual ship that Raold Amundson used in his expedition to reach the South Pole. A museum has been built around it. The museum is on 3 floors, ground, first and second. On the second floor visitors can walk onto the deck of the ship and then enter the inside 2 floors to see the living and working quarters and stores. Whilst on deck a 270 degree projection shows the journey through day and night, storms and iceberg fields.

Race to the South Pole

Raold Amundson’s crew thought they were going to the North Pole but as news that it had been reached, Amundson changed his mind and headed South. Scott was already heading to be the first man to reach the South Pole so the race was on. Amundson docked in Ross bay which is closer to the South Pole and he set off 13 days before Scott. He took 97 dogs and sledges and used skills that he had learnt whilst with the inuits. He also set up many base camps and left food for their return. Whereas Scott used 3 mechanical tractors, which broke down in the cold conditions and also horses that were not accustomed to the cold weather. Scott only set up one base camp and sadly his team died on their return when within 12 miles of their base camp. Amundson arrived at the South Pole on 21st November 1911, a month before Scott. He arrived back to the Fram 33 days early. Amundsen's expedition benefited from his careful preparation, good equipment, appropriate clothing, a simple primary task, an understanding of dogs and their handling, and the effective use of skis. In contrast to the misfortunes of Scott's team, Amundsen's trek proved relatively smooth and uneventful. Fram belonged to the explorer Fridtjof Nanson and was built to be ice strengthened.

Kon Tiki

Thor Heyerdahl is one of history’s most famous explorers. In 1947 he crossed the Pacific Ocean on the balsawood raft Kon- Tiki. This was his first expedition to be captured on film, and was later awarded an Academy Award for best documentary in 1951. He later completed similar achievements with the reed boats Ra, Ra II and Tigris, through which he championed his deep involvement for both the environment and world peace. He was also responsible for important archeological excavations on the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island and in Túcume. The Kon-Tiki Museum exhibits objects from Heyerdahl’s world famous expeditions, the original Kon-Tiki raft, and the papyrus boat Ra II as well as other old craft.

Viking Boat

This is the largest of the small boats from the Gokstad find. The boat was buried around 900 AD and excavated in 1880. It was restored in the 1930’s