Lecture tour in Ofoten
Published 12 October 2026
The museums and libraries in Ballangen, Kjøpsvik and Narvik invite you to a lecture tour with Arne Håkon Thomassen from the Sami Parliament!
20 July 2026
The doors to the Otolith were opened to the public on June 30. Feedback from visitors is pouring in, from local residents, tourists from home and abroad, colleagues in the industry, young people, adults and families.
(The official opening of SKREI – which consists of the new building Otolitten, the Lofoten Museum, Gallery Espolin and the Lofoten Aquarium – will take place on 19 September. Then Norway’s Minister of Culture will come, there will be events for several days and great fun! )
In the meantime, we can report that there is great interest in SKREI and perhaps especially Otolitten – the new building with the large, new exhibition “With the Sea”!
A visit to SKREI
The visit to SKREI starts at the parking lot, which is spacious and well-organized. From here, you enter the new building Otoliten, buy a ticket and walk on to where you want to go.
That’s one of the great things about SKREI – you should be able to adapt the visit to yourself, your interests and time.
Photo: Kjell Ove Storvik. Illustration: LPO Arkitekter.
We do not have real photos of the entire area around SKREI yet, but we are sharing a new one of the Otolith as well as an illustration showing the entire SKREI. As you can see in the pictures, we still have some exterior work left, with landscaping etc. Inside, all public areas are fully operational.
Nice that I can choose for myself then, whether I want to visit the whole of SKREI, or just something. Great with tickets that take this into account!
Food and drink
Many guests also take the time for a bite to eat in the nice café after the exhibition visit or after a tour of the entire SKREI. Sandwiches, cinnamon buns and other delicious buns, a large selection of coffee, piping hot fish soup – here there are several opportunities for a tasty break.
There is also a café in the Lofoten Aquarium, as usual, and many people choose to enjoy ice cream, waffles, coffee and simple meals there as well.
From the foyer of the Otolith
What do guests say?
Not everyone visits every venue in SKREI. Some do not have time for everything, or have been with us before and want to return to their favorites. The interests are different, the time available is different – and we have facilitated that. At SKREI, you visit what you want yourself.
The Lofoten aquarium is already known and highly appreciated. We can report continued large visits and as usual: good feedback. There is great interest in seeing what is in the sea areas around Lofoten.
Galleri Espolin’s visitors come to look at the artworks of Kaare Espolin Johnson and get to know the artist a little better. There is also great interest in the art workshops that are arranged here. In the summer, both children and adults can create their own art!
The squire’s house at the Lofoten Museum has received a thourough restauration recently. Guests who come there can see how a squire has lived, experience the stunningly beautiful location, enter a real fisherman’s cabin and admire the large boat collection in the boathouses. Guests appreciate both the history and the beauty one can experience.
In the new building at SKREI, The Otolith is the large, new, main exhibition “With the Sea”. Visitors wander around, studying artifacts, artwork, texts, and images. The exhibition is rich and also offers many stations with screens where you can search for more information. In several places, there are opportunities to sit down and listen to texts via headphones. The artworks integrated into the exhibition also receive a lot of attention from many visitors.
“With the sea” touches hearts
The feedback is so good! All the places in SKREI are receiving praise. Particularly in the wind right now is naturally the new building Otolith and the large, permanent exhibition “With the Sea”.
Many guests report back to the reception after their visit. And we are so proud, so happy, so grateful! Just listen:
We keep getting statements like “Congratulations, this was great!” “Finally SKREI is finished – and what a place it was!” “Lofoten’s great history has finally got a place to be told” “I am so proud to see my own story so nicely told”, “now I understand life in Lofoten” – and similar statements.
We feel so motivated!
This gives us a fantastic motivation to continue our work. We will create good experiences and convey important knowledge. We take this opportunity to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has visited us and given us their feedback!
SKREI is a place where you learn, sense and experience the importance of the Lofoten fishery and skrei. The enormous values this has created and continues to create for Norway.
All photos: Kjell Ove Storvik/Museum Nord