The Fram Museum

What The Fram Museum does

The Fram Museum (Frammuseet) is a private, non-profit polar exploration museum located on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, Norway, established in 1936 to preserve and exhibit the polar ship Fram. Formally registered as Komiteen til bevarelse av Polarskipet Fram (Frammuseet) STI (organization number 971 456 329), the institution operates as a Norwegian registered association without external investment backing. Its physical collection centres on the Fram — the strongest wooden ship ever built, used by Nansen and Amundsen across three polar expeditions — and the Gjøa, the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage, housed in a connected building accessible via underground tunnel since June 2013. Permanent exhibitions span three floors of multilingual interpretive content (ten languages) and include a 270-degree ceiling-mounted introduction film and a 2025-launched 4D flight simulator recreating the 1925 Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile polar flight.

The museum serves three primary customer segments: tourists and general public visiting Oslo (primary), schools and educational groups (primary), and corporate/private event clients seeking after-hours venue hire (secondary). Revenue is generated through four streams — ticket admissions (adults 180 NOK, children/students 70 NOK, seniors 140 NOK), retail (physical shop and online webshop selling books, art, enamel tableware, and souvenirs), venue rental for private events, and voluntary donations. Distribution occurs through the single Oslo physical site, an online booking system (booking.duell.no), a global e-commerce webshop, a third-party virtual tour (YourIGuide), and a travelling exhibition programme that has placed content in 26 countries.

The museum is operated by a lean team of approximately 11 staff, including a Director (Geir Olav Kløver), Finance/Admin Manager (Annette Støren Nyborg), Operations Manager (Eivind Lorentzen), and Event Manager (Elina Vaytmaa). It is co-located on Bygdøy with Kon-Tiki, Norsk Maritimt Museum, Vikingskipene, and Folkemuseet, leveraging the peninsula's status as a clustered tourist destination. Strategic activity has centered on exhibit refresh — including annual featured exhibitions, the 4D simulator in 2025, and virtual tour rollout — rather than on acquisitions, fundraising, or structural change. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Fram Museum

Legal name

Komiteen til bevarelse av Polarskipet Fram (Frammuseet) STI

Website

https://frammuseum.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fram Museum is a non-profit polar exploration museum in Oslo, Norway, founded in 1936 to preserve the polar ship Fram and Gjøa. It serves tourists, school groups, and private event clients through ticketed exhibitions, retail, venue hire, and donations, with a travelling exhibition programme across 26 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG), History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Museum exhibitions
• Cultural heritage
• Polar history
• Educational tours
• Venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees from visitors to the museum, with tiered pricing for adults, children, students, and seniors.
2. Retail/Shop Sales: Physical and online merchandise sales including books, art, enamel tableware, and other souvenirs.
3. Venue Rental/Private Events: After-hours private events and venue rentals for corporate functions and celebrations.
4. Donations: Voluntary donations from visitors and supporters to support museum operations and preservation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Fram Museum is a cultural heritage museum that preserves and exhibits the polar ships Fram and Gjøa along with Norwegian polar exploration artifacts. It sells admission tickets to permanent and temporary exhibitions, operates a retail shop (physical and online) for books and souvenirs, runs an on-site café, hosts private events, and offers educational tours for school groups.

Product overview

The Fram Museum is a polar exploration museum in Oslo, Norway, offering a unified visitor experience centered on three legendary Norwegian polar ships: Fram, Gjøa, and Maud. The museum provides permanent exhibitions featuring the ships themselves alongside interactive experiences including a 4D flight simulator, 270-degree introduction film, and virtual tours. Additional offerings include travelling exhibitions displayed in 26 countries, the Framheim Café, a retail books and gifts shop (both physical and online), educational programs for schools, private event hosting, and a media library. The museum's polar history archives document explorers, expeditions, and vessels with multilingual interpretive content in ten languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fram Exhibition (Polar Ship Fram) Main exhibition showcasing the polar ship Fram across three floors with explanatory texts in ten languages describing the three Fram expeditions; targeted at museum visitors, tourists, and school groups.
• Gjøa – Welcome Aboard! Exhibition Permanent exhibition featuring the Gjøa, the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage, located in a separate building connected by underground tunnel; for general visitors and educational groups.
• Featured Exhibitions Annual temporary exhibitions complementing the permanent displays; targeted at museum visitors and tourists seeking refreshed content.
• Travelling Exhibitions Travelling exhibitions available for display at partner venues worldwide; sold/licensed to museums and cultural institutions in 26 countries.
• 4D Flight Simulator Experience Approximately 5-minute 4D flight simulator experience recreating the legendary 1925 polar flight expedition; for museum visitors.
• Schools and Guided Tours Educational programs and guided tours designed for school groups and students about polar exploration history.
• Private Events and Venue Rental After-hours event hosting and venue rental services for private functions, corporate events, and celebrations at the museum.
• Framheim Café On-site café serving food and beverages to museum visitors.
• Books and Gifts Shop (Physical) Physical retail shop at the museum offering books, art, enamel tableware, and souvenirs related to polar history.
• Online Webshop E-commerce platform for purchasing books, art, enamel tableware, and other souvenirs from the museum's gift shop, with home delivery.
• Donations Program Charitable donation program supporting the preservation of the polar ship Fram and museum operations.
• Museum Admission Tickets Tiered admission tickets sold online and on-site, giving visitors access to permanent and temporary exhibitions across the Fram and Gjøa buildings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4D flight simulator experience from 1925 polar flight expedition opened in 2025

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bygdøy Museums (Neighboring Institutions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated on Bygdøy peninsula alongside Kon-Tiki Museum, Norsk Maritimt Museum, Vikingskipene, and Folkemuseet. Museums are within 15 minutes walking distance and accessible via ferry from Rådhuset.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Maritime Museum (UK): UK's premier maritime museum in Greenwich. Comparable as a large-scale national maritime museum, though much broader in scope than Fram's polar-expedition specialization.
• Scott Polar Research Institute: University of Cambridge institute dedicated to polar research and history, including a museum and archive. Comparable as a globally recognized polar heritage institution, though research-led rather than mass-tourism focused.

Direct peers

• Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset): Neighboring Bygdøy institution preserving historic Norwegian vessels (Viking ships). Directly comparable as a heritage vessel museum in Oslo attracting the same tourist demographic.
• Norwegian Maritime Museum (Norsk Maritimt Museum): Also on the Bygdøy peninsula, this museum covers Norway's broader maritime heritage. Directly comparable in product category (maritime museum), visitor base (Oslo tourists), and museum scale.
• Kon-Tiki Museum: Located on the same Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, the Kon-Tiki Museum preserves Thor Heyerdahl's raft and other expedition vessels. Directly comparable as a small Oslo-based maritime exploration museum competing for the same tourist audience.
• Norsk Folkemuseum: Major open-air cultural heritage museum on Bygdøy peninsula. Comparable as a Norwegian cultural/visitor institution sharing the same local tourist catchment and operating model.
• Polar Museum (Polarmuseet, Tromsø): Norway's other dedicated polar exploration museum, located in Tromsø. Comparable as a Norwegian museum focused on polar history and Arctic exploration heritage.

Emerging players

• Maud Returns — Maud Expedition Foundation: Initiative connected to the polar ship Maud (Amundsen's vessel), tied to the Fram Museum's broader ecosystem. Comparable as a polar heritage/expedition brand with educational and cultural programming.
• The Explorers Club: NYC-based professional society for explorers with a small museum/collection program. Comparable as an exploration-heritage institution with educational programming, though primarily membership-driven rather than ticket-driven.

Others

• Oslo Museum of Cultural History / Cultural History Museum: University of Oslo cultural history museum that operates the Viking Ship Museum and Historical Museum. Comparable as a Norwegian heritage museum peer, primarily for the broader Oslo cultural tourism market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-fram-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Fram Museum