Directorate for Cultural Heritage

Latest from Directorate for Cultural Heritage

1. Guideline13 Oct 2026

   Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage issues guide on fire safety for heritage buildings

   • Riksantikvaren, Norway's heritage authority, has made a new guide. It helps owners of old houses, churches and boathouses understand fire rules. Many find the rules hard to follow.
   • Fire is one of the biggest threats to heritage buildings. The minister wants solutions that keep people safe and also protect the buildings.
   Construction rulesCulturePreparedness
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2. Call for applications12 Oct 2026

   Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage opens NOK 1.7–2.3 million R&D call for 2027, deadline 30 November

   • The Directorate for Cultural Heritage wants proposals for research and development projects that give useful new knowledge to heritage management. Projects should address current and future challenges and be useful to several actors.
   • Funding has recently been about NOK 1.7–2.3 million per year, excluding VAT. The call only applies if the money is actually granted.
   CulturePublic administrationScience
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3. News article9 Oct 2026

   Rare St. Olav coin found in the Mørstad hoard, Norway's largest Viking-age coin hoard

   • A very rare coin showing St. Olav has been found in the Mørstad hoard, the biggest Viking-age coin hoard in Norway. Only four like it are known. One was found in Norway in 1924.
   • The coin shows the king with a cross on the front and a cross on the back. Professor Svein H. Gullbekk, an expert on coins, says the king used coins to show he was a Christian king like others in Europe. He calls it branding.
   CultureScience
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4. News article7 Oct 2026

   Directorate for Cultural Heritage withdraws Marienlyst objection after changes to buildings and heights

   • The Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren) is dropping its objection (a formal demand for changes) to the Marienlyst plan. Section head Silje Flage Dragsund says they are very happy the plans are better.
   • This only applies if the plan is adopted with the new changes.
   CulturePlan and areaPublic administration
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5. Budget7 Oct 2026

   2027 state budget: NOK 527.4 million to restore churches and strengthen cultural heritage protection

   • The Church Preservation Fund gets NOK 527.4 million from the Ministry of Children and Families. The money will restore churches with high cultural and historical value. Minister Lene Vågslid says churches matter as heritage and as meeting places, including during crises.
   • Hamar Cathedral gets NOK 7.8 million from the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The building has been closed since summer 2025. The money will stop glass from falling. Nidaros Cathedral gets almost NOK 131 million for restoration in 2027.
   AgricultureCultureNature
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6. Decision6 Oct 2026

   Riksantikvaren rejects appeal: prehistoric burial monument at Yndestad farm in Askvoll may not be removed for new cultivation

   • Riksantikvaren (the national heritage directorate) says no to the appeal. The county's refusal stands. The case was about removing a protected monument under section 8 of the Cultural Heritage Act.
   • The monument is an ancient stone burial mound from the Roman Iron Age (ID 275024), at gnr. 10, bnr. 3 in Askvoll. The applicant mainly wanted to turn the land into farmland.
   AgricultureCulturePublic administration
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7. Decision6 Oct 2026

   Directorate for Cultural Heritage rejects appeal over reallocation of grant for Rød manor

   • The Directorate for Cultural Heritage has handled an appeal and said no. The county's refusal stands. The money concerns Rød manor, a protected heritage site.
   • The owner wanted to use the grant for different work than the grant decision named.
   CulturePublic administration
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8. News article5 Oct 2026

   Norway's largest underwater cultural heritage survey is under way in Vågen, Bergen

   • Marine archaeologists (experts who study remains under water) from Bergen Maritime Museum are surveying the seabed in Vågen, Bergen, this autumn. It is the biggest survey of its kind in Norway.
   • The survey is part of the Cleaner Harbour Bergen project. Bergen municipality, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Vestland County Council and the Norwegian Environment Agency are working together. The project also aims to stop toxic pollution from spreading in the inner Byfjord.
   CulturePollutionScience
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9. Statement2 Oct 2026

   Norway's Directorate for Cultural Heritage will not object to eased outdoor-dining rules in central Bergen, but demands stricter heritage adaptation

   • Bergen municipality wants to change its city centre plan. The 3-metre free walkway rule would drop to 2 metres everywhere, and outdoor dining would no longer be limited to 1 metre from the wall. The aim is more flexibility and predictability for businesses.
   • The Vestland county director thinks the proposal protects cultural heritage too little and proposed an objection (a formal block on the plan). The area includes the Bryggen World Heritage Site and Medieval Bergen. More outdoor dining and furniture could over time affect walkways, views and the feel of public spaces.
   BusinessCultureMunicipalities
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10. Press release29 Sept 2026

    National target reached: 50 percent of Norwegians now interested in cultural heritage

    • Half of Norwegians aged 16–79 now say they are interested in cultural heritage – a record since surveys began in 2021, up from 47 percent the year before.
    • 14 percent are very interested and 36 percent are fairly interested. Older and more highly educated people tend to be most interested.
    CultureVoluntary work
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