The Royal Collections

The Royal Collections encompass a wide array of artefacts, from paintings, photographs, toys, horse-drawn vehicles, furniture and silver to dinner services and table linens, clothing and textiles, and kitchenware. These objects help to provide a broader and more nuanced picture of Norway’s history from 1814 to today. The Royal Collections have been built up through the more than 200 years of service of the Royal Family. These collections are living and still in use.

Examples from the Royal Collections may be viewed on this website and on tours of the Royal Palace. The Section for the Royal Collections also administers the loan of artefacts to museums in Norway and abroad.

Register and make accessible

A large-scale effort to register the collections was begun in 2003 in order to create a database of information on these historical artefacts and preserve them for posterity. It quickly became clear that the collections were far more wide-ranging and comprehensive than first presumed. As a result, several external warehouses have been established to protect this historical inheritance. The aim of the registration effort is to obtain an overview over and knowledge about the collections and ultimately to make them accessible to researchers and the general public.

The Section for the Royal Collections is also responsible for conservation and restoration of objects in use at the Royal estates and for implementing preventive measures to prolong the life of the interiors of the estates.

A unique characteristic of the Royal Collections is that they include archive materials and photographs that help to bring history alive in a very special way. The collections can convey stories that are not available any other place in Norway today.

Organisation

The section is part of the Department of Royal Estates and Culture, and is headed by Ms Ingeborg Lønning.