The Bergen Maritime Museum is one of Norway’s oldest specialised museums. The idea of a museum was launched in 1914 by the Bergen Ship-owners’ Association and the Bergen Shipmasters Association. On 13 April 1921, the museum was constituted. Six years later, on 18 February 1927, the museum was officially opened in rented premises at Bergen History Museum – which at the time were already too small for the growing amount of collections.

The process to get a an own museum building went on for many years. By the 1950s, the museum had an own funding of 525.000 Kroner, and in addition came a large donation fom the shipping Company Westfal-Larsen & Co. The new building was designed by Per Grieg, and the building work started in 1959. The new museum building was opened on 30 April 1962.

The Bergen Maritime Museum publishes the Norwegian Yearbook of Maritime History, and several of the museum’s employees are authors of several books and articles. The Bergen Maritime Museum is responsible for the management of the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Act in the waters stretching from the southern part of county of Hordaland – which Bergen is a part of – and northwards to the southern part of the county of Møre and Romsdal.

The Bergen Maritime Museum has today around 28,000 visitors from Norway and abroad. Around 40 per cent of the visitors are school children. In November 2013, the number of visitors passed 1 million since the museum building opened in 1962.

Directors of the Bergen Maritime Museum:

1921-1947:  A. Ragnvald Brekkhus (manager)
1955-1993:  Lauritz Pettersen
1993-2011:  Atle Thowsen
2011-2014:  Tore L. Nilsen
2015-:           Per Kristian Sebak