VIMU Kulturnatt 2025: Sea Ivories

Name: VIMU Kulturnatt 2025: Sea Ivories
Start: 2025-09-12T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-09-12T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Erling Skakkes gate 47b, 7012 Trondheim, Norway

Schedule

Fri Sep 12 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Erling Skakkes gate 47b, 7012 Trondheim, Norway | Trondheim, ST

What do a Scottish island and the city of Trondheim have in common? The world's most famous chess pieces!
In 1831, a farmer on the island of Lewis in the Hebrides found a collection of chess pieces hidden under the dunes. These iconic chess pieces have since become famous worldwide, and have been featured in several novels and films. The chess pieces are made of whale teeth and walrus tusks, and may have been crafted in 12th-century Trondheim.
How did ivory from the sea become a coveted commodity in medieval Europe? Why did people embark on long journeys across the sea to hunt for such a large and dangerous animal as the walrus – and what were the consequences for the species?
Take a tour of the exhibition "Sea Ivories" on Kulturnatt and experience the Lewis chess pieces and other beautiful medieval crafts. You will hear about the Norse settlements in Greenland, the history of the game of chess, and why many people believe that the Lewis chess pieces were made in Trondheim.
On Kulturnatt, you can attend guided tours every hour: 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM. The guided tour at 7:00 PM will be held in English. The museum stays open until 9:00 PM. You can also try popular board games from the Viking Age and the Middle Ages: chess, hnefatafl, mill and 3-in-a-row.
The museum has free admission on Kulturnatt.
Photo: Åge Hojem