By the Kaupanger ferry dock, you’ll find the Sogn Fjord Museum. The fjord has always been an important source of food, income and communication, and essential to the Sogn settlements and way of life.

We have a unique collection of boats from Sogn. You’ll also find a reconstructed boat workshop, including many boat-building tools. There is also a diverse selection of traditional fishing tools.

The fjord used to be the very lifeblood of the Sogn villages. It was their highway. Amongst the steep mountain sides lining the Sognefjord, boats were in some places the only sensible way to get around. Even where the land was traversable for people, it was much easier to use the fjord as a road, whether you were transporting people, animals or goods. The museum contains examples of all the common Sogn boats, from the færing, which remained the most common, to the storebåt – a small jekt.

However, the fjord was not merely a road. It was also a food bank. There was plenty of cod and haddock, saithe and pollock, tusk and halibut, sprat and herring, salmon and trout. It was a rich food source that people learned to take advantage of.

The museum maintains a collection of fishing tools, including a seine boat, nets, tunnel nets, traps, jigs and shell scrapers. The history of Sogn cannot be understood without including the fjord as a central element. This makes Sogn Fjord Museum especially important to the people of Sogn.