Ibsen Museum

The Ibsen Museum in Grimstad occupies the old pharmacy where young Henrik Ibsen worked as an apprentice, and where he lived in a small room and wrote his first play. It is one of the few places in Norway that shows the playwright not as an established classic, but as a fifteen-year-old starting out in adult life.

What is it and where is it?

The museum stands at Henrik Ibsens gate 14 in Grimstad, a small town on Norway's southern coast in the Sørlandet region. It is run by the Grimstad town museum, which looks after several visitor sites in and around the town, including a maritime museum. Do not confuse it with the Ibsen Museum in Oslo, which occupies the writer's last home close to the Royal Palace. Grimstad shows a very different chapter of his life: the beginning.

Why was Ibsen in Grimstad?

Ibsen arrived in Grimstad in 1843, aged 15, to work as an apothecary's assistant. Sources differ on the employer's name, giving both Reimann and Reiman. He lived at the back of the pharmacy in a small duty room, and it was there that he wrote his first drama, "Catilina", published in 1850 under a pseudonym. Soon afterwards he left for Christiania (today's Oslo), where his path to literary fame began.

What will I see inside?

Visitors can see the original pharmacy where the young Ibsen worked, and the room where he lived and wrote. The interiors are furnished to recall the time of his stay. It is a good way to picture the daily life of a nineteenth-century apprentice in Norway: cramped rooms, glass vessels and long working days, followed by nights spent on his own writing.

How did the museum come about?

The idea took shape in 1909, when a committee was formed to create a museum devoted to Ibsen. After roughly five years of effort the building was bought and furnished as it had looked when the young writer worked there. As a result the house survives as a record of the early years of one of Europe's most important dramatists.

Frequently asked questions

Is the visit guided? Yes, entry to the museum is by guided tour.

Is the museum open all year? Opening hours vary by season. Summer brings longer visiting hours, while the rest of the year may be more limited, so check the museum's current information before you go.

Is this the same museum as the one in Oslo? No. The Oslo museum is in Ibsen's last home, while the Grimstad museum tells the story of his youth and his time in the pharmacy.

How long should I plan for? A guided visit makes a short stop on a stroll through town, and it combines well with the other museum sites in Grimstad.

Who is it for? Lovers of literature and theatre, people interested in Norwegian history, and anyone who wants to see where the career of the author of "A Doll's House" and "Peer Gynt" began.