Bratteklev Skipsverft with guided tour

Norway’s connection with the shipping industry is rooted deep in its history and culture. While many southern parts of the country symbolise this, Bratteklev Skipsverft takes this connection to a different level. This shipyard has seen years of hard work, right from building the first wooden sailing ship in 1870 to the time of steamships. Today, this is one of Arendal’s popular museums and has still preserved the smell of wood shavings from the wooden shipbuilding era!

A guided tour of this shipyard-cum-museum will take you through the buildings and machines that represent Norwegian shipping and cultural history. Every piece of equipment preserved here brings this maritime monument to life, which explains why it was nicknamed the ‘living museum’! Some of the machinery is maintained so well that they function till this date!

Bratteklev Skipsverft was established as a functioning museum open to the public in 2015. The Smith- Sørensen family runs it in association with Arendal municipality and Aust-Agder county municipality. Since its establishment, the foundation has constantly worked towards financing projects to restore the machines and buildings here.

Initially built for fishing and farming purposes, Bratteklev Skipsverft went through years of transformation to become a shipyard. The first ship produced here was Ilma, made by O.B. Sørensen in 1867 and weighed a whopping 465 tonnes! As the trend of wooden vessels started dying, Sørensen began investing in steamships, but the yard was still used to build vessels.

The tools and machines used for the purpose have been kept intact since 1916 by Sørensen’s son, who decided to turn the yard into a museum. Today, the yard museum is open only to visitors accompanied by a guide from the foundation itself. Once inside, you can’t help but notice the misty scent of tar, wood, and sea, taking you back to the 18th-century! The guide will walk you through the evolution of this shipyard from a manufacturing site to a museum.

There is so much to see in this museum that a sightseeing tour here would easily last up to 60-90 minutes. You will learn the crafts and techniques of ancient maritime technology that echoes through the exhibits conserved here. Additionally, there is also an outdoor exhibit with photographs that display the manufacturing of wooden ships in beds (construction area of vessels). Outside the museum, the pier overlooking the sea ensures some spectacular views of the Helsviga waterfront. If all this intrigues your instincts, book a guided tour to Bratteklev Skipsverft and get a sure shot at reliving Arendal’s maritime past!

Some of the items exhibited in the yard museum are:

• A classic pillar drill machine.
• A turning machine.
• Pusnes steam winch number 207.
• Pictures of Barken Ilma.
• Outdoor photo exhibition.
• Restored sjekta Elsa.
• The framework case and sawmill.
• Hand tools used by the shipwrights.

• Get insights into how sailing ships were built in Norway more than 100 years ago!
• Stroll across dated buildings that preserve shipbuilding machinery and tools
• Enjoy a walk through the museum marvel at the century-old exhibits
• Guided tours in this shipyard start at 12:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

• .Entry
• Guided tour