Norwegian Canning Museum

About

The Norwegian Canning Museum in Stavanger brings to life one of the city’s most important early industries, offering a vivid glimpse into the era when Stavanger was known as Norway’s “sardine capital.” Housed in an authentic former cannery in the historic Øvre Strandgate district, the museum preserves original machinery, production lines and workrooms that show how fish were smoked, packed and exported around the world. The atmosphere is immersive, with the scent of wood‑fired ovens, rows of vintage tins and demonstrations that reveal the skill and speed required in the factory’s heyday. Exhibits highlight the social history of the workers, the global reach of the sardine trade and the technological innovations that shaped the industry. Today the museum stands as a lively cultural attraction, connecting visitors with a defining chapter of Stavanger’s maritime and industrial heritage.

Stavanger Norway

Location

The Norwegian Canning Museum is located at Andasmauet 11–15 in the heart of Gamle Stavanger, the city’s old town district of preserved white wooden houses. It sits in a restored former cannery building just off Øvre Strandgate, minutes from Stavanger’s central harbor. From the museum, you step directly into Gamle Stavanger, a charming neighborhood of 18th- and 19th-century cottages lined with cobblestone lanes and flowers, considered one of Europe’s best-preserved wooden settlements. A short walk brings you to the Norwegian Printing Museum, which shares the same IDDIS complex and explores the city’s graphic arts and labeling history tied to the canning industry. Nearby, the Stavanger Maritime Museum on Strandkaien 22 overlooks Vågen harbor and details 200 years of regional seafaring, while the striking Norwegian Petroleum Museum stands along the waterfront with architecture evoking an offshore platform. Stavanger Cathedral, a 12th-century Gothic landmark, and the colorful cafés of Øvre Holmegate, known as Fargegaten, are also within easy reach. The harbor area offers Fisketorget fish market, cruise ship quays, and the Stavanger Art Museum, and your museum ticket often includes same-day entry to several other city museums plus half-price admission to the Petroleum Museum the next day.