What Maihaugen does

Maihaugen is Norway's largest open-air museum, located at Maihaugvegen 1 in Lillehammer, Norway. It presents over 200 historic buildings across four main areas — Bygda (rural), Byen (town), Boligfeltet (residential), and Hyttegrenda (mountain pasture hamlet and cabin area) — including the 13th-century Garmo Stave Church reconstructed on site in 1921 and the medieval Dagsgardsloftet from 1256. The museum, founded in 1904 by dentist Anders Sandvig and operated since then by Stiftelsen Lillehammer museum (a Norwegian nonprofit foundation, org.nr. 955 378 024), functions as both a heritage preservation site and an active cultural venue. Its core offering combines physical historic infrastructure with permanent indoor exhibitions (Impulses showcasing over 1,000 objects, We Won the Land tracing Norwegian history from the Ice Age, Our World Heritage focused on Røros), temporary exhibitions (How many tons? on glacier melting, Dans Dans Dans through October 2025, Hunting the Hekne Weave through 2026), costumed interpreters during summer programming, school and kindergarten programs, seasonal events (Christmas market, midsummer, Christmas at Maihaugen, Barnas sommer- and vinterdag), and the Norwegian Olympic Museum co-located in the visitor centre.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining one-time admission tickets (with school group pricing at 60 NOK/student), subscription-based annual passes covering six museums under the Stiftelsen Lillehammer museum umbrella (Family 1,300 NOK, Adult 820 NOK, Youth/Student 325 NOK), museum shop retail (Maihaugbutikken) selling crafts, ceramics, and books, café and catering services operated by concessionaire Frich's Spiseri Maihaugen AS, venue rentals for confirmations, weddings and corporate events, commercial photography and filming permits, and object lending to other institutions (administrative fees from 3,000 NOK). Substantial operating support comes from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, Arts Council Norway, Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage), Innlandet County Authority, the Research Council of Norway, and private foundations including Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, Sparebank 1 Østlandet, and Stiftelsen UNI. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via physical visits, online ticket sales through museumsbillett.no, social media (Meta, TikTok), email newsletters, and collaboration with Lillehammer regional tourism. Primary customer segments are families and general public (tourists and locals), schools and kindergartens in the Lillehammer-Gausdal region, event organizers, and commercial media producers.

Technology infrastructure is conventional and operational rather than differentiating: Digitalt Museum for digital collections, KulturIT for eKultur platforms, Google Analytics 4, Meta Pixel and TikTok Pixel for web analytics, Netaxept for payments, HubSpot for booking and CRM, and Visma Net for financial management. The specialized library holds over 50,000 volumes covering cultural history, folk art, crafts, building history, and regional Gudbrandsdalen history. The active research portfolio includes Klima-MOV climate monitoring of heritage buildings, the FoodStories project (2025-2028) where Maihaugen leads work package 4, and the 'Eit skigardsdele' mountain pasture project, supported by an ecosystem of ~50 active Thursday volunteers and the Lillehammer Museums Venner friends association.

Name

Maihaugen

Legal name

Stiftelsen Lillehammer museum

Website

https://maihaugen.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maihaugen is Norway's largest open-air museum in Lillehammer, operating over 200 historic buildings, permanent and temporary exhibitions, school programs, seasonal events, retail, café, and the Norwegian Olympic Museum under Stiftelsen Lillehammer museum. It serves families, tourists, schools, and event clients through ticket sales, annual passes, and government-funded cultural-heritage programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open-Air Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Open-air museum
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Historical exhibitions
• Museum education
• Visitor experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Lillehammer

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Revenue from individual museum tickets with various pricing tiers for adults, children, students, and families. Children 0-5 years free.
2. Annual Passes: Annual memberships providing unlimited access to six museums (Maihaugen, Lillehammer Kunstmuseum, Norges Olympiske Museum, Norges Postmuseum, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons Aulestad, Sigrid Undsets Bjerkebæk) with additional benefits including discounts at museum shops and free entry to events.
3. Museum Shop (Maihaugbutikken): Retail sales of ceramics, glass, linens, wood products, jewelry, silk scarves, knitted items, children's toys, notebooks, and specialized books on crafts. Shop represents three museums located at the site.
4. Food and Beverage Services: Catering services operated by Frich's Spiseri Maihaugen AS, including Maihaugkafeen and outdoor dining options in summer months.
5. Venue Rental: Rental of facilities for confirmations, weddings, memorial services, and other occasions.
6. Commercial Photography and Filming: Fees for commercial photography and filming permits, with varying prices based on publication scope. Also includes revenue from photo archive sales.
7. Object Lending: Loan of museum objects for exhibitions, research, conservation, photography, publishing, or educational purposes, with administrative fees starting from 3,000 NOK plus transportation and insurance costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maihaugen is a cultural history and open-air museum that operates over 200 historic buildings across rural, town, residential, and mountain pasture areas. It offers museum admissions, multi-sensory indoor exhibitions, seasonal events (Christmas market, summer programming, midsummer), educational programs for schools and kindergartens, guided tours, an annual pass covering six regional museums, and ancillary services including a museum shop, café, venue rental, and object lending.

Product overview

Maihaugen is Norway's largest open-air museum, operated by Stiftelsen Lillehammer Museum, located on Maihaugvegen 1 in Lillehammer. The museum offers a multi-layered portfolio combining physical heritage sites with exhibitions, educational programs, and retail/dining services. At its core is the open-air museum (Friluftsmuseet) comprising over 200 historic buildings across Bygda (rural), Byen (town), Boligfeltet (residential), plus a mountain pasture hamlet and cabin area. The visitor centre (Besøkssenteret) houses permanent exhibitions (We won the land, Impulses, Our World Heritage), temporary exhibitions (How many tons?, Dans Dans Dans, Hunting the Hekne Weave), Maihaugkafeen café, and Maihaugbutikken shop. Seasonal experiences include Christmas at Maihaugen, the Christmas Market, Midsummer Celebration, and Summer at Maihaugen. The museum also operates Norwegian Olympic Museum (included in ticket) within the same site. Educational offerings span school/kindergarten programs, weekly impulse talks, and guided tours. The digital collection is accessible via Digitalt Museum. The museum also offers an annual pass covering six regional museums with reciprocal benefits at partner institutions across Scandinavia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Årskort til Museene på Lillehammer: Annual pass covering six museums: Maihaugen, Lillehammer Kunstmuseum, Norges Olympiske Museum, Norges Postmuseum, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons Aulestad, and Sigrid Undsets Bjerkebæk
• Maihaugkafeen
• Maihaugbutikken
• Garmo Stave Church
• Skjåktunet
• Øygarden
• Olsengården
• Dagsgardsloftet
• Langsomt ble landet vårt eget
• Impulser
• Jakten på Hekneveven
• Hvor mange tonn?

Products and services

• Open-Air Museum (Friluftsmuseet) Norway's largest open-air museum featuring over 200 historic buildings across three main areas — Bygda (rural), Byen (town), and Boligfeltet (residential) — plus a mountain pasture village and cabin hamlet, offering immersive cultural experiences with costumed interpreters and historic farmsteads.
• We Won the Land (Langsomt ble landet vårt eget) Major permanent exhibition tracing Norway's history from the Ice Age to the present day, using light, sound, smell, images, and models, including sections on the Black Death, the Viking Age, World War II, and the post-war prosperity era.
• Impulses (Impulser) Year-round permanent exhibition showcasing over 1,000 key objects from the museum collection, spanning folk art, tapestries, medieval ecclesiastical art, and the world's oldest revolver, organized around the theme of cross-border cultural influences.
• Our World Heritage (Vår verdensarv) Exhibition on Norway's eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, connected to the We Won the Land exhibition, with a special focus on Røros Mining Town and Circumference. Co-produced with Riksantikvaren and MiST Rørosmuseet.
• How many tons? (Hvor mange tonn?) An exhibition on the melting of glaciers in Jotunheimen, comparing historical photographs from 1902 with contemporary images from 2019, produced by Norsk fjellsenter (Norwegian Mountain Center) and NVE (Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat).
• Dance Dance Dance Exhibition (Dans Dans Dans) Exhibition on dance traditions in Norway spanning traditional folk dances to modern dance forms, produced in collaboration with local dance communities (Folkedans Innlandet) and Norsk senter for folkemusikk og folkedans (NSFF), running February 2 – October 19, 2025.
• Hunting the Hekne Weave (Jakten på Hekneveven) Exhibition and research project exploring the tapestry-weaving tradition from 1600s Gudbrandsdalen, including guided tours, live demonstrations, and collaboration with author Lars Mytting, running through 2026. Partners include Gudbrandsdalsmuseene, Håndverksinstituttet, Gudbrandsdalen Uldvarefabrikk, and local craft guilds.
• Christmas at Maihaugen (Jul på Maihaugen) Christmas programming including daily guided tours in decorated historic houses, special exhibitions, and a decorated Christmas tree designed annually by a recognized artist or designer.
• Maihaugen's Christmas Market (Maihaugens julemarked) Annual Christmas market held the first weekend of Advent, featuring over 100 vendor stalls with crafts, folk art, and local delicacies, plus activities for children and historical performances. Previous market attracted approximately 11,000 visitors.
• Summer at Maihaugen (Sommer på Maihaugen) Summer programming from June 22 to August 16 featuring guided tours, mime theatre, walking theatre for children, costumed interpreters, and farm demonstrations in historic Bygda and Byen settings.
• Midsummer Celebration at Maihaugen (Sankthansfeiring) Annual midsummer celebration on June 23 featuring bonfire, entertainment, local cultural presentations, and historic reenactments at Maihaugen.
• Children's Summer Day (Barnas sommerdag) Annual family event held on the last Sunday of August featuring zipline, gold digging, treasure hunts, bubble football, archery, canoeing, Viking activities, and creative workshops at Maihaugen.
• Children's Winter Day (Barnas vinterdag) Annual winter celebration held every February featuring ice activities, sledding, skating, pony rides, horse-drawn carriage rides, and outdoor play at Maihaugen.
• Norwegian Olympic Museum (Norges Olympiske Museum) Modern interactive museum located within Maihaugen's visitor centre, taking visitors through Olympic history from antiquity to modern games. Included in the Maihaugen admission ticket.
• School and Kindergarten Programs (Skole og barnehage) Curriculum-aligned educational programs for schools and kindergartens covering Norwegian history, emigration, food culture, World War II resistance activities (Operasjon Spirrevipp), and traditional folk life, offered year-round.
• Guided Tours (Omvisninger) Guided tours across all areas of the museum, including tours in Bygda, Byen, themed tours such as the Hekne Weave hunt, and historical living-history presentations with costumed interpreters.
• Annual Pass to Lillehammer Museums (Årskort til Museene på Lillehammer) Annual pass providing unlimited access to six museums (Maihaugen, Lillehammer Art Museum, Norwegian Olympic Museum, Norwegian Postal Museum, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons Aulestad, Sigrid Undsets Bjerkebæk), with benefits including free entry to events, 10% shop discount, and free entry to partner museums in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Pricing: Family 1,300 NOK; Adult 820 NOK; Youth 16-25/Student 325 NOK.
• Maihaugen Museum Shop (Maihaugbutikken) Museum shop in the visitor centre selling ceramics, glass, linens, wood products, jewelry, silk shawls, knitwear, toys, and books on crafts, representing all three museums on site.
• Maihaugen Café (Maihaugkafeen) Café in the visitor centre with views of Garmo Stave Church, offering cakes, waffles, and lunch dishes, operated by Frich's Spiseri Maihaugen AS, open year-round during museum hours.
• Explore the Collections (Utforsk samlingene) Digital access to Maihaugen's collections via Digitalt Museum, including the object collection, photo archive, specialist library with over 50,000 volumes, loans, contemporary documentation network (Samtidsnett), and Innlandsarkiva private archives.
• Venue Rental (Møter og event) Rental of historic facilities for confirmations, weddings, memorial services, and corporate events at Maihaugen, with Maihaugsalen as a key event space.
• Commercial Photography and Filming Permits Fees for commercial photography and filming permits at Maihaugen, with varying prices based on publication scope. Also includes revenue from photo archive sales. Requires advance permission and contract.
• Object Lending Program Loan of museum objects for exhibitions, research, conservation, photography, publishing, or educational purposes, with administrative fees starting from 3,000 NOK plus transportation and insurance costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 years of continuous museum operations and cultural preservation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Norsk fjellsenter (Norwegian Mountain Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the 'How many tons?' exhibition on glacier melting in Jotunheimen, combining scientific research with museum interpretation. The exhibition compares historical and contemporary photographs to show glacier changes.
• Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat (NVE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the 'How many tons?' exhibition on glacier melting. NVE provides scientific data and research on Norwegian glaciers for exhibition content.
• Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'Our World Heritage' exhibition about Norwegian UNESCO World Heritage sites, with particular focus on Røros Mining Town. Also partner in Klima-MOV climate monitoring project.
• MiST RørosmuseetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'Our World Heritage' exhibition focused on Røros bergstad and Circumference, part of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
• GudbrandsdalsmuseenemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Jakten på Hekneveven' (Hunting the Hekne Weave) research and exhibition project exploring tapestry-weaving tradition from 1600s in Gudbrandsdalen.
• Håndverksinstituttet (Norwegian Crafts Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Jakten på Hekneveven' project, contributing expertise in traditional crafts and textile techniques for exhibition development and public programming.
• Gudbrandsdalen UldvarefabrikkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Jakten på Hekneveven' project on historical textile weaving traditions in Gudbrandsdalen.
• Lokale husflidslag (Local Craft Guilds)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Jakten på Hekneveven' project involving regional craft guilds in preserving and demonstrating traditional textile weaving.
• Forfatter Lars MyttingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with author Lars Mytting whose books about Hekneweave and the legendary weavers from Hekne farm on Dovre provide literary framework for exhibition narrative.
• Folkedans InnlandetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Dans Dans Dans' exhibition (2024-2025) on dance history in Innlandet region, contributing folk dance expertise and performance content.
• Norsk senter for folkemusikk og folkedans (NSFF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Dans Dans Dans' exhibition, providing traveling exhibition 'Se bestemor! Vi danser sammen!' and research methodology on dance as intangible cultural heritage.
• Lillehammer Museums Venner (Friends Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting organization providing funding and contributions to exhibitions including 'Impulses'. Members receive benefits with annual pass purchases.
• OsloMet (Oslo Metropolitan University)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading research institution in FoodStories project (2025-2028) on Norwegian culinary heritage and sustainable value creation. Maihaugen leads work package 4 on museum co-creation.
• ØstfoldmuseenemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead of work package 4 in FoodStories research project on sustainable heritage value creation, focusing on museums as arenas for learning.
• NIKU (Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResponsible institution for Klima-MOV project monitoring climate impacts on protected buildings, including Garmo Stave Church at Maihaugen.
• ValdresmuseamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in 'Eit skigardsdele' project (2022-2025) exploring mountain pasture culture and cabin industry transformation. Maihaugen is collaborative partner.
• UNESCO NorgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian and Swedish mountain pasture culture inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in December 2024. Project supported by UNESCO Norge.
• KulturITcoreTechnology or IntegrationIT infrastructure provider for digital solutions and eKultur platforms. Data processing agreements in place for secure handling of personal information.
• Netaxept (Banking as a Service)coreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service used for ticket and pass purchases through website. Secure payment processing with 5-year automatic data retention policy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Den Gamle By: Denmark's national open-air museum of urban culture and history in Aarhus. Closely parallels Maihaugen's combination of historic buildings, immersive period interpretation, and reciprocal Scandinavian museum partnerships.
• Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum: Open-air folk museum in Trondheim featuring historic buildings, indoor exhibits, and cultural-heritage programming. Direct Norwegian regional peer with similar building-collection, school-program, and volunteer-engagement model.
• Norsk Folkemuseum: Norway's largest cultural history museum in Oslo, also operating as an open-air museum with 160+ historic buildings. Most direct functional comparator to Maihaugen, with overlapping educational programs, building collection stewardship, and Klima-MOV climate-monitoring collaboration.
• Skansen: The world's first open-air museum, located on Djurgården in Stockholm. Operates heritage buildings, costumed interpreters, and seasonal programming on a similar model to Maihaugen, and is part of the cross-Scandinavian reciprocal annual-pass partner network Maihaugen references.
• Rørosmuseet: Museum operator at the UNESCO World Heritage Røros Mining Town — Maihaugen's collaboration partner on the 'Our World Heritage' exhibition. Comparable as a regional museum tied to a UNESCO designation, with overlapping funding sources (Riksantikvaren, Kulturrådet).

Emerging players

• Midgard Historical Centre: Horten-based Viking-age and historical interpretation center with costumed interpreters and living-history programming. Comparable niche — though smaller and more thematic — in immersive Norwegian cultural-history experiences.

Regional players

• Anno Museum (Museumszenrum Hedmark): Regional museum group covering Hedmark with multiple cultural-history sites comparable to Maihaugen's regional stewardship model. Overlaps in school programs, building conservation, and Innlandet/regional tourism dynamics.
• Valdresmusea: Regional museum network in Valdres hosting cultural-history buildings and programming. Active partner on Maihaugen's 'Eit skigardsdele' mountain-pasture project (2022-2025) and a comparable regional-heritage operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maihaugen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maihaugen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Maihaugen