Historical Interiors

Stavanger Maritime Museum consists of several merchant properties that were built at the beginning of the 1800s. Several of the exhibitions show different interiors and environments illustrating how the rooms in these buildings were used before it became a museum. The shipping company’s office is the most authentic of these.

Shipping Office

The family-owned shipping company Monsen was established in 1812 and operated at Skagen 18 for 165 years. Sverre Monsen was the last of five generations in which fathers and sons took over the business from one another as shipowners. After Sverre passed away in 1977, the company was dissolved. Stavanger Maritime Museum acquired the unique interiors and relocated it to Nedre Strandgate 19. The rooms provide great insight into what a maritime office environment in Stavanger looked like during the interwar period.

The Monsen company started with herring trade to the Baltic countries while also engaging in trade and herring salting in Stavanger. In the 1830s, it entered the international freight industry. It was among the first Stavanger shipping companies to supplement its sailing fleet with steamships. By the early 20th century, the company had specialized in fruit transport from the Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic islands to Northern Europe. The shipping operations ended in 1954, but the company remained in the shipping industry until 1977.

The Sail Loft

The interior of this sail loft belonged to the company E. Berentsen, one of Stavanger's largest trading houses and shipping companies in the 19th century. Originally, the sailmaker’s workshop was located in several waterfront warehouses in Børevika, in buildings that today have the address Øvre Holmegate 12-20. The workshop remained in operation until the 1980s and was moved to the museum in 1985.

The exhibition showcases various tools used by sailmakers, including workbenches with patterns and workbooks for sails. At the front of the room stands a sailmaker’s bench with tools such as a tallow horn, sailmaker’s palm, and marlin spikes. Further inside, different products made by the sailmakers are displayed, including a "wind man," which was used to ventilate a ship’s cargo hold.

At the very back of the room hangs the "vinna," a winch wheel used to hoist and lower goods to and from the loft.

The Apartment

At Nedre Strandgate 17, we have recreated an apartment as it might have looked for a merchant or shipowner’s family in the years 1900-1910. It is furnished with a living room, dining room, study, and kitchen with a pantry. Through the windows, you can see the terrace gardens belonging to Nedre Strandgate 17 and 19. These gardens once had flower beds, ornamental shrubs, and berry bushes, and some even featured gazebos.

Below the gardens, along the street, lies the Groom Well, named after the company Groom & Søn, which exported lobsters to England from Nedre Strandgate 17.

The General Store – Closed from March 18 until mid-June 2025
Read more about the project in the article below.

Historical sources indicate that trade has likely been conducted at Nedre Strandgate 19 since the 1760s. The first known shopkeeper was Miss Dorothea Catarine von der Lippe, who ran a general store here for over 40 years until 1802. In the early 19th century, merchant Boye Pettersen operated stores in both Nedre Strandgate 17 and 19, and he was known for carrying a large selection of goods.

The inventory ranged from seamen’s supplies, to paint, to milk and cream, and to fine porcelain. He also specialized in vegetable seeds, flower seeds, and berry bushes. The reconstructed store dates to around 1910 and consists of furnishings and objects from several defunct Stavanger stores. One of these was Stavanger Colonial, which was located at Kirkegata 15 until it closed in 1972. The general store contained a wide variety of goods intended for townspeople, sailors, and farmers.