The Arctic Museum "Aarvak"

An exciting story about the true heroes of the Arctic Ocean, the everyday heroes, and about an industry that would come to mean so much to an entire nation. Seal hunting and wintering. The men who fought against the forces of nature and homesickness. Those who set out at 15 years old with no doubt in their souls. Skippers and trappers. It was about survival, and perhaps fulfilling a dream of wealth. Many did not return, but were given their wet graves.

The Ishavsmuseet "Aarvak" was established in 1981 and aims to preserve the rich traditions of seal hunting and other work in polar regions in Western Norway. The Ishavsmuseet is a specialist museum on the subject of polar, with a focus on seal hunting, from all over Western Norway.

The museum consists of the protected Arctic ship "Aarvak", the oldest remaining of its kind, which is currently on land in its own house next to the museum, and approximately 6000 exhibited objects. Among these are a number of stuffed animals: musk ox, polar wolf, polar fox, four polar bears and several seals and Arctic birds. The museum also has a large collection of approximately 75.000 photos that illustrate this environment. In addition, the museum has Ragnar Thorseth's photo collection of approximately 25.000 photos.

The museum also has an extensive collection of Arctic films, some from the 1930s. The building where the collections are exhibited was built in the 1950s and was used for processing sealskins and storing equipment for the ships. Brandal was the starting point for a total of 47 ships that operated in the polar regions.

The museum was added to Brandal because the village was a center for seal hunting, wintering and Arctic expeditions from Western Norway, from 1898 onwards. In Brandal there was a factory that received the Arctic products and processed them further. The skins were further processed and the blubber was steamed into seal oil.

When this industry was at its peak in the late 1920s, 75 Arctic ships sailed from Western Norway. More than 1000 men were employed in this industry. During the period around World War I, seal products were Norway's second largest export. Seal hunting was a dangerous profession, often with life at stake. Most ships sank sooner or later in ice drifts or in storms on the way to the fishing grounds. In the period 1924 – 1939, 115 Arctic ships sank. As was usually the case, the crew was saved. They were wooden ships – with iron crews.

 

1nd floor

Café, shop, reception and toilet. The gift shop offers sealskin boots and shoes, cards, T-shirts and souvenirs. The shop also has one of Norway's largest selections of polar literature. Also visit the online store to see some of the selection.

The polar bear standing here is a gift from the Governor of Svalbard.

The first floor can seat up to 110 people. The museum has its own kitchen and can offer all kinds of food.

If you go through the café you will come to an exhibition about the drumming of sealskins, which is the same building that the museum is housed in. You can also go into the boat hall to see an exhibition of various small boats and local fishing gear.

2nd floor

On the second floor, the main theme is seal hunting. Here you will find many stuffed seals, a fishing boat, fishing gear and weapons. Navigation instruments and a radio section. On all the walls there are many pictures that illustrate this fishing environment. Ragnar Thorseth also has a large section on this floor where you can see, among other things, his camp from the North Pole Expedition in 1982. Thorseth and his entourage were the first Norwegians to set foot on the North Pole. On this floor, you can study more about the dramatic shipwrecks, learn more about the pioneer Peter S. Brandal, and see an exhibition about the development of Arctic ships. On all floors there are screens that show films and photos from the polar regions.

There is also a conference room available. The room is approximately 140 m2, and is well-equipped with technical equipment. Capacity around 150 people.

3rd floor

The third height is via wintering capture in Nordaust Greenland. Here it is made with piled-up terrain from Greenland. Two stuffed polar bears, musk ox, polar fox and polar wolf and many other animals are placed here. In addition to several arctic birds. In this, a full-size replica of the wintering cabin Hoelsbu from Nordaust Greenland has also been built. Here you can go in and see the conditions they lived and captured under. Sunnmøre's connection to Svalbard has also been given space in its own Svalbard department. Here we find the history of Svalbard in brief, and some artifacts from the Kings Bay mines in Ny-Ålesund, or Brandal City as the place was first called.

On this floor you will find various hunting equipment and documentation from the many wintering expeditions in Eirik Raudes Land, and you can learn more about the history of when Norway tried to occupy land in North-East Greenland. There is also a section on John Giæver.

Fishing was also an important secondary occupation outside the fishing seasons. These included summer trips to catch hawks, cod fishing and trips to the herring fields. A section also tells more about this.

EARTHQUAKE

The Ishavsmuseet has also taken over an old boathouse that was on the museum grounds. This is from the last century. The boathouse contains a ferry and a wooden rowing boat. In addition, there is common small-sea equipment. This boathouse is preserved as it is, and visitors also get an insight into it during visits. This also gives us the opportunity to show this, which was also an important part of surviving at sea.

 

BRANDAL MOTOR SHOP

Next to the Ishavsmuseet stands a building that previously housed a workshop for, among other things, overhauling fishing boat engines, forging hook-pegs, etc. They even produced seine boats and various equipment. In later years, this building belonged to M. Karlsen AS, who has now donated it to the Ishavsmuseet. This building will now be renovated and used by the Ishavsmuseet for exhibitions, storage and a workshop. Many of the old tools are still in place. This will become part of the exhibitions, and some of the boat engines that the museum owns will be placed here. The Ishavsmuseet will also get much-needed storage space and archives here.

 

ICE CUT-OFF

Since the Sunnmøringane started seal hunting, there has always been a woman who has been little talked about: the Arctic old woman. She always stayed home when her husband and often one or more sons traveled on the Arctic Ocean. They usually started on this dangerous voyage as soon as they had received the priest's hand.

They didn't think much of the danger, but more than once both father and son have come away on the same ship. -They were strong, independent women. Often with large groups of children, who kept most of the things under control while the men were on the Arctic Ocean. They didn't have a radio to report back home how things were.

She who was sitting at home saw nothing from the time they went out until the ship came sailing towards the home shores again. There she stood, out on the far headland, scouting for the ship when it was expected home. Was the flag at full or half mast true? Often they did not come at all. Shipwrecks were many and dramatic. The biggest catastrophe was in 1917 when seven ships sank, six in the ice and the seventh on its way to Greenland. 87 men were lost. The second was as late as 1952 when five ships with 78 men were lost. 48 wives with 98 minor children were left at home without their breadwinners.

The ice-skjerringa was responsible for the homestead and often a large group of children. She also rowed the small lake to look after the household.

The monument to the Arctic Woman is located in the outdoor area of ​​the Ishavsmuseet in Brandal. The artist Tore Bjørn Skjølsvik created the sculpture, which was unveiled on June 18, 2005.

 

HENRIK LANDMARK (1928–1998)

Henrik Landmark was the zealous and driving force behind the foundation of the Ishavsmuseet Aarvak. Interest in the polar regions was evident early on when he was on a seal hunt in 1949 and 1950. He also learned about the history from his uncle Vebjørn Landmark, who was a long-time skipper on, among others, the "Aarvak" and "Fangstmand". He was also one of the pioneers of wintering in Greenland. Henrik took over the postal service in Brandal and was postmaster until 1996. Together with other enthusiasts, he secured the Arctic ship "Aarvak" when it was condemned in 1981.

It was Hareid Historielag and Hareid Pensioners' Association who were behind it. Even though it was sealing history that was his main interest, he was for many years editor of the annual magazine of Hareid Historielag. Henrik collected at home in the basement, but gradually he took over the house of his uncle Vebjørn Landmark, and furnished two floors as a museum. The collections grew quickly and the house soon became too small.

Thus began a long and hard struggle to get new premises for the collections. It would be unfair to say that he only met fellow citizens in this work. But he had faith in the cause and an indomitable will to erect a worthy memorial to the everyday heroes within this industry. In 1998, new premises were completed and the museum moved in in the summer of 1998. Three weeks before the official opening, Henrik Landmark died, almost 70 years old.