Where to find us
Public transport
On selected days during the season, VY operates an express bus between Oslo and Kistefos:
Saturday 24 May and Sunday 25 May
Every Thursday to Sunday from May 29 to September 21
Every Saturday and Sunday from September 27 to October 12
The departure is from Oslo Bus Terminal at 10:15 AM, and the return from Kistefos is at 5:00 PM.
Please note that the bus only runs if tickets are pre-booked.
Arriving by car
Kistefos is located one hour northwest of Oslo, with two entrances to the park offering parking on both sides. Visitors with reduced mobility are advised to use Entrance South.
Entrance South:
Address: Kistefossveien 24. Accessible from Oslo via Klækken and County Road 241. Follow signs for Kistefos.
Entrance North:
Address: Samsmoveien 41. Accessible from Ringerike/Jevnaker via the E16 and Bergerfossvegen.
Season 2025
04.05 - 12.10
Opening hours
- 4.5 – 22.6, Tue - Fri 11-17
- 4.6 – 22.6 Sat - Sun 10-17
- 23.6 – 24.8, Mon - Sun 10-17
- 25.8 – 28.9, Tir - Fre 11-17
- 25.8 – 28.9, Sat - Sun 10-17
- 29.9 – 12.10, Mon - Sun 10-17
- Special opening hours:
- Sat 17.5 Closed
- Tor 29.5 10-17
- Sun 8.6 10-17
- Sun 9.6 10-17
- The sculpture park is always accessible, even outside regular opening hours and the season.
Tickets
- Adults 200,-
- Senior citizen 170,-
- Children (0-19) Free
- Young/Student (20-25) 100,-
- Groups 170,-
- Memberships:
- Kistefos Member Adult 600,-
- Kistefos Member Student 350,-
- Area ticket outside opening hours/season 100,-
- Area tickets must be purchased through the vending machine at one of the entrances
Today
Season 2025: May 4 – October 12
Plan your visit
Olafur Eliasson, The Large Iceland series # 1, 2012. Courtesy the artist and Christen Sveaas Art Foundation.
Exhibition opening Saturday June 14: Ring of Fire
On Saturday 14 June at 13.00, Kistefos opens this year’s Springbrett exhibition!
Springbrett is an annual open call, which gives a young curator the opportunity to realise an exhibition concept based on works from the Christen Sveaas Art Foundation.
The opening will find place outside Nybruket Gallery.
Performance Saturday 14 June: Louis Schou-Hansen
On Saturday 14 June, Kistefos presents artist and choreographer Louis Schou-Hansen’s (b. 1992, DK) performative work Tragedy in The Twist. The performance is ongoing between 14.00 and 16.30, and audiences are welcome to enter and leave the room as they please during this time, and spend as much time as they wish with the work.
The performance is free for all visitors.
Photo: Operafest Røykenvik
Pop-up opera concert Sunday 15 June
Join us for a truly special musical experience in the extraordinary surroundings of Kistefos! Among world-class architecture, powerful industrial history, cutting-edge art exhibitions, and an impressive sculpture park, we invite you to an unforgettable pop-up concert.
The concert is free for all visitors.
Decibel in concert at Kistefos Saturday 14 June
The women’s choir Decibel from Ringerike will perform an atmospheric concert at Kistefos Saturday 14 June.
Decibel sings to bring joy – both to themselves and to others – and shares their passion for music through beautiful harmonies and a strong sense of community.
The concert takes place at the café area from 12:00 to 12:25 and is free for all visitors.
Christina Quarles, «Behold! And Be Held Beside Me». © Christina Quarles. Belongs to Gary Steele and Steven Rice's Private Collection.
Christina Quarles Bless Tha Nightn´gale 2019 Courtesy of Christen Sveaas Art Collection.
Christina Quarles in her studio. Photo: Ilona Szwarc, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London.
Christina Quarles – Living in the Wake
May 4 - Oct 12
The Twist
For the 2025 season, Kistefos is proud to present Living in the Wake, the first major solo exhibition in the Nordic region by acclaimed American artist Christina Quarles (b. 1985). Staged within the architectural landmark The Twist, the exhibition offers a comprehensive survey of Quarles’ work and includes two entirely new paintings created specifically for the show.
Kathleen Ryan
May 4 - Oct 12
Nybruket Gallery & Wood Pulp Mill
Kistefos is proud to present the first museum survey of American sculptor Kathleen Ryan, opening 4 May 2025. Spanning the first decade of Ryan’s practice, the exhibition features twenty-five sculptures and is presented across two of Kistefos’ unique exhibition venues: Nybruket Gallery and the industrial-era Wood Pulp Mill.
Nairy Baghramian, Resting Arms. Courtesy the artist and Kistefos. Photo: Vegard Kleven.
Nairy Baghramian, Resting Arms. Courtesy the artist and Kistefos. Photo: Vegard Kleven.
Sculpture of the year: Nairy Baghramian - Resting Arms
For the opening of the 2025 season, Kistefos is delighted to be unveiling the 56th permanent work in the museum’s sculpture park: Resting Arms by the Iranian-born, German artist Nairy Baghramian (b. 1971).
Liv Brissach is the Springbrett OPEN CALL 2025 recipient
The jury for the second edition of Springbrett is pleased to award the 2025 project to Liv Brissach, who will curate an exhibition at Kistefos during this year’s season.
Photo: Ida Golberg
'Energy-Matter-Space-Time' by Petroc Sesti was unveiled in 2006. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Kistefos - a cultural destination with a twist
Kistefos offers world-class architecture, industrial history, art exhibitions, and an impressive sculpture park in scenic surroundings.
New York Times
What makes it a must-see cultural destination is The Twist, a new 15.000-square-foot structure spanning a river in the middle of the sculpture park.
The Twist. Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu.
The Twist
The new fabulous museum at Kistefos, designed by world-renowned architect Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG, opened Wednesday, September 2019. The building has been named the top architectural museum project in the world to open in 2019, by both the Daily Telegraph and Bloomberg.
All of Nature Flows Through Us by Marc Quinn. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Path of Silence by Jeppe Hein is a favorite of many - including the children, who use it as a fountain in it in the summer. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Point of View - Part 1 by Elmgreen & Dragset. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Sculpture park of international standing
The scenic sculpture park boasts over 50 works by internationally renowned contemporary artists, including Anish Kapoor, Jeppe Hein, Tony Cragg, Olafur Eliasson, Fernando Botero, and Elmgreen & Dragset. The park focuses on site-specific and international contemporary artworks and is open year-round.
From the installation Movimenti della Memoria by Fabrizio Plessi. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Photo: Hans Haug, Visit Øst-Norge
The history
Kistefos is located on the historic site of Kistefos Træsliperi A/S, founded by Anders Sveaas in 1889. The factory produced wood pulp until the mid-1950s and played a significant role in Norway's industrial history. In 1996, Kistefos was established as a museum by his grandson, Christen Sveaas, who aimed to preserve and continue the family legacy. The original machinery and buildings have been preserved and now form a unique Living Factory experience, where visitors can gain insight into the industrial production that was once central to Kistefos.
Katy Vandekerckhove:
Kistefos was really a jewel on earth with high level art in fantastic surroundings