About us
Stjørdal museum Værnes, Levanger photo museum, Stiklestad National Cultural Center, Nils Aas Art Workshop and Egge museum have for a number of years been part of a large museum community. From 2023, this organization has been given a new name: while the names of the individual museums remain, the community is now called Museene Arven.
The community is linked by our strong focus on the museums' role in society and our common vision: to contribute to a viable democracy.
With the new year 2023, the museum community Stiklestad National Cultural Center changes its name to Museene Arven. It is a milestone for everyone in the organization. In addition, we hope the name will contribute to a larger conversation about what heritage really is and the role of cultural heritage as a shaping force in society.
Heritage is a word that links our museums together. We work with cultural heritage, with the legacy of Sigrid på Egge, Nils Aas, Harald Renbjør and Martin Moe, with Olav's legacy and player heritage, with the legacy of the region's women and men and various minorities, with rock art and much more. In addition, the new name invites to discuss what heritage really is. This question is very important for us who work in museums, but it should also be a central part of the larger societal debate. Because: what ends up with the label cultural heritage is never neutral or natural. It is a result of choices made by those who have lived before, by us who live today and which have great significance for both our understanding of society and our understanding of ourselves. With the name Museene Arven, we want to shine a spotlight on precisely this dynamic and powerful side of the phenomenon of heritage. We will use the name to challenge everyone to ask: What stories and traces have been handed down from the past? What stories have not been told and why? How is cultural heritage managed, shaped and used today? What legacy are we passing on and to whom? And: what do I want my legacy to be?
Read the entire chronicle about the new name here.
The museum community works with cultural heritage that has a time depth that spans from the distant past to the present and with stories of local, regional, national and international importance. The value of the departments' uniqueness is central to our business. At the same time, Museene Arven is linked by our common understanding of which museum we should be for, in and together with society.
The museums The heritage's values are thought-provoking, credible, inviting and fearless. Our work must be based on ICOM's ethical guidelines, UNESCO's cultural conventions and the UN's sustainability goals. We must be a strong museum professional voice in close dialogue with the rest of society. We will raise society's many voices and stories. We shall use our knowledge and expertise to safeguard and highlight the various tangible and intangible imprints of cultural heritage. We will contribute with perspectives on̊ history that create conversations and challenge established truths. We must work so that the past is experienced as relevant, relatable and valuable. We must meet people and stories, from the past and present, internally in the organization and from outside, with dignity and clarity. We must be aware of our role and our responsibility as a museum by striving for new knowledge, by having a critical eye on our own activities and by constantly inviting new people and groups into our work.
Museums Arven will show - and challenge the understanding of - what a museum can and should be. And: we shall contribute to meetings between people and stories that inspire conversation, reflection and community engagement. This is how we will respond to our overall ambition: Museene Arven must be a museum that contributes to a vibrant democracy.
The group Museene Arven AS also consists of Stiklestad Hotell AS. This is the operating organization for the hotel in Stiklestad and a wholly owned subsidiary of Museene Arven.
Museene Arven AS is owned by Trøndelag county municipality, Verdal municipality, Stjørdal municipality, Levanger municipality, Inderøy municipality and Steinkjer municipality.
The heritage museums
