Petter Dass and the Petter Dass Museum

After visiting the War Cemetery, we visited the Peter Dass museum. Petter Dass (picture 1) was a poet priest who lived from 1647-1707. He lived from 1689 until his death in Alstahaug, with which he is very connected. The house, in which he lived, is next to the museum (picture 2). Petter Dass has a central role in Norwegian cultural history. He is one of the most important Danish-Norwegian poets of his time. His works are embossed by the nature and the living conditions in northern Norway. Him in honor, the Petter Dass museum was opened in 1966, which is part of the Helgeland museum. The museum is a place of contrasts, because it consists of a new and modern museum (picture 3/4), a parsonage from the 18^th century and a medieval church (picture 5). The museum conveys primarily the life story of the poet priest and the wide role which he has for the cultural history of the region. The museum’s building was designed by the renowned architectural firm Snohetta AS. The Petter Dass museum is a very modern building midst of nature. The building itself is slope. If one stand on the top floor, one can see on the one side the church through a glass facade. If one look to the other side (180 degrees), one can see the ocean (picture 6) and forest. It seems, as one could look up in the future. The building is very impressive, because it stands in the middle of a rock (the two sides, where no glass facades are). The museum is very clearly arranged with a TV room, musical elements and precise information about Petter Dass. Although it is surrounded by a rock, it looks very bride and friendly inside the museum, because of the glass facades and the ocean view. I am very impressed about the museum and I have never seen a museum like this before. In my opinion, the combination of modernity and nature is very good and I really like that place. 

Picture 1

https://snl.no/Petter_Dass

Picture 2

 Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6