Unique gift to the Open Air Museum on Bragernesåsen

Drammens Museum is getting a raised building, which will contribute to increased accessibility, improved public offerings and increased focus on the cultural heritage at the Open Air Museum.

This is a unique and valuable gift to the museum and to the whole city!

The donation is offered with a distinct wish from the donor that 'the building will be used for public use, contribute to and stimulate increased interest and understanding of cultural-historical buildings in our time'. The gift has been given away The Kaare Berg Foundation, as a free transfer of ownership of the building, including repair of rot and damage, moving and rebuilding of the building at Numedalstunet at Friluftsmuseet, Bragernesåsen.

The project will strengthen the collaboration between the museum and Friends of the Open Air Museum and ensure valuable voluntary efforts at the Open Air Museum.

A development of Numedalstunet with a new lofted living room will mean that both the museum, the Friends of the Open Air Museum and possibly other teams and associations can have an accessible place to stay in a living room at Numedalstunet. The living room will supplement the existing buildings at Numedalstunet, and could appear as a gateway to the experience of the entire yard. The living room, in contrast to the protected Toenstua, will be generally accessible to the public and will be heated during the winter months. The building can thus function as a warming room on event days throughout the year, where information about the Open Air Museum can be arranged with various courses and meetings or arrangements can be made for traditional catering.

Moving the building will provide a unique opportunity for the reuse of a living room worthy of preservation and thus provide a sustainable communication project within cultural heritage and building conservation through increased use. Increased use leads to better conservation, so a development of Numedalstunet will be able to stimulate increased use of the museum facility, increased voluntary efforts and increased access to resources. This will subsequently ensure better building protection. The museum has received approval from the municipality to move the living room.

Moving and rebuilding the building will be carried out by traditional craftsmen in close collaboration between Stiftelsen Kaare Berg and the museum, where parts of the building that need restoration will be repaired along the way.

The museum has a social mission to ensure the transfer of expertise in traditional crafts, particularly in building conservation, and this project enables the museum to establish a learning arena at Numedalstunet. Teaching can be offered to construction trade students in the city and the region. The building's heritage will also be able to be communicated to the general public while the work is in progress and through educational programs afterwards.

The museum has received a generous grant from Savings bank foundation DNB to the dissemination program.