KUBEN Aust-Agder museum and archives

KUBEN is part of the Aust-Agder museum and archives, and is located in Norway’s most modern museum and archive building at Langsæ in Arendal.

The museum offers exciting experiences for both young and old – here you can explore several permanent and temporary exhibitions. Admission is free for children under 18.

KUBEN also has a cozy café where you can enjoy a cup of coffee with warm doughnuts or a simple lunch. On weekends and during summer, freshly made waffles are served.

Among the permanent exhibitions at KUBEN you’ll find:

Enslaved
The story of the slave ship Fredensborg is both local and world history for Arendal. The ship was wrecked off Tromøy in 1768, and the wreck was found in 1974. Fredensborg is considered to be the world’s best documented slave ship ever found as a wreck. The exhibition displays many of the artifacts discovered during the excavation.

Signs of Life
In the exhibition “Signs of Life” you can take a journey through the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age in Agder – from the time the first people arrived in the area until the end of the Viking Age. Here you can see some of the amazing objects found in Agder from these periods, and learn about how society changed from the Stone Age to the Viking Age. The exhibition also features several fun and educational activities for children.

Childhood
This exhibition is made for children and is about childhood in the 20th century. Here you can travel with a time machine to 1910, 1960, and 1990. The exhibition is packed with activities! Among other things, you can try milking a cow, hoisting a sail, singing jump rope songs, or dressing up. Fun for all ages!

The Crash in Arendal, 1886
The crash in 1886 hit Arendal like a bolt from the blue and was a disaster for both the city and the surrounding area. Afterwards, people did not talk about it in the once-wealthy city. The exhibition asks: How could this happen? Was it poor investments in sailing ships that caused the crash? Or were the reasons speculation, fraud, and forgery?

Arne Vinje Gunnerud Sculpture
The exhibition “Arne Vinje Gunnerud Sculpture” is a fantastic collection of sculptures by the sculptor and Arendal artist Arne Vinje Gunnerud.

The White Sails
An exhibition filled with salty stories about people and ships facing both fair winds and storms. 150 years ago, Norway was the world’s third-largest maritime nation, and Southern Norway was the country’s center for sailing ships. The large forests in Agder provided timber for shipbuilding, and the wind propelled the sailing ships forward. After the golden years, things gradually went downhill. The golden age was replaced by times of crisis, and the sailing ships disappeared from the fleet. Steamships were the future.

Here you’ll find up-to-date information about KUBEN’s exhibitions and opening hours.

Merdøgaard Museum
Merdø, located in the archipelago outside Arendal, is well worth a visit. Here you’ll find the Merdøgaard Museum (which is part of KUBEN). Merdøgaard is a small coastal farm with a skipper’s house from 1736, preserved just as it was, with original interiors and furnishings from around 1800.

Guided tours are given by costumed guides every day during the summer season and are a great experience for the whole family. Entrance to the museum is only possible via guided tours – and these are given several times daily.

You can buy tickets for guided tours at Merdøgaard (tickets are released in May). Tickets can also be purchased upon arrival if there are places available on the tour.

On the museum grounds, there is also a beach and a small café.