The Artic is one of the most unforgiving, uninhabitable continuous areas of wilderness in the world. Yet, polar seafaring has been a longstanding tradition since the 1830s, and Tromsø, otherwise known as the “Gateway to the North” has served as an important base for these polar expeditions for decades.

The Polar Museum in Tromsø documents the riveting expeditions by courageous trappers (both men and women!) and Artic explorers who have braved the hazardous journey to the North and lived to tell the tale, and showcases the ships and vital equipment that were essential for life in the Artic. Highlights include exhibitions about the trapper Henry Rudi, who killed 713 polar bears, and that depicting the lives and expeditions of polar heroes Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. Chockful with interesting titbits of historical and cultural information about life in the Arctic, the Polar Museum is definitely worth a visit for history buffs and museum lovers when in Tromsø.