Austad Manor

Austad Manor (Norwegian: Austad gård) is a historic manor house in Drammen, in south-eastern Norway, and today part of Drammens Museum. The neoclassical main building stands in a park of avenues and old trees, and the estate's history reaches back to the Middle Ages.

Where does the estate come from?

Austad is first mentioned in 1391 and early on grew into a large landed estate. It was crown land until 1647, when it came under the holdings of Hannibal Sehested. In 1697 it was designated a tax-free main estate for county governor Paul Glud, who built a grand complex here that burned down in 1807.

What does the present building look like?

The current manor was built between 1808 and 1813 on the surviving cellars of its burned predecessor. Peder von Cappelen and his wife were the builders. The result ties the memory of the older estate to the architecture of the early nineteenth century.

Who lived here?

Hans Kiær bought Austad in 1842, and the family kept the estate for generations. The last private owner, Tom Kiær, had to give it up in 1928. The bank Den norske Creditbank took over, and in 1931 Skoger municipality acquired the main building.

Austad as a museum

When Skoger merged with Drammen in 1964, the municipality donated Austad to Drammens Museum. In 1967 the manor opened as a museum, furnished with items from the Drammens Museum collections. The main building was protected as a cultural monument as early as 1923, while the park's avenue and tree groups have been protected as a natural monument since 1964.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Austad Manor? In Drammen, Buskerud, Norway, in the area of the former Skoger municipality.

Can I visit the interiors? The manor belongs to Drammens Museum, but access can vary. Some sources describe the house as closed to visitors, so check current information with the museum before you go.

Is the site protected? Yes. The main building has been a protected cultural monument since 1923, and the park with its avenue and tree groups has been a natural monument since 1964.

Who is it for? Anyone interested in Norwegian local history, early nineteenth-century architecture and former landed estates. Even when the interiors are closed, walking through the park and viewing the building from outside gives a sense of the scale of the old estate.

Why stop by?

Austad shows how a Norwegian estate passed from the crown through officials and merchants to public institutions. The stages of that story, from the 1391 mention through the 1807 fire to the museum opening in 1967, remain legible in the buildings and grounds. It fits well into a day in Drammen, alongside the city's other cultural sights and especially Drammens Museum itself, of which it is a part.