The collection at Troldhaugen

It was not given that Troldhaugen should be owned by Bergen municipality and run as a museum.

In the turbulent 1920s, in the wake of the First World War, widow Nina Grieg suffered great financial difficulties and was forced to sell Troldhaugen to Edvard’s relative Joachim Grieg.

Large parts of the furniture and belongings in the house were then also auctioned and spread far and wide.

Fortunately for later generations, a few years later Joachim Grieg decided to sell Troldhaugen to Fana municipality with the intent for it to become a museum.

Through the involvement from several different groups of people, much of the furniture, Grieg’s grand piano and other treasures were donated back to Troldhaugen from various donors.

The museum could open as early as 1928, to Nina Grieg's great joy. Troldhaugen appears today as a full-fledged artist's home, with objects that give both the public and researchers a unique opportunity to get close to history.

The collection left by the Grieg couple contains many works of art. They surrounded themselves with industrial art, folk art and visual art from different parts of the world.

Among the highlights we should mention Erik Werenskiold’s “Children Playing” from 1892, gifted to the couple on their silver wedding. Werenskiold had a long-terms friendship with the couple, and the collection also counts several drawings and caricatures from the artist.

Among other art works we can mention a pastel portrait of Nina Grieg by German artist Frans von Lenbach and a large painting of a landscape in Vejle in Denmark, gifted by Danish friends.

On the table in the dining room sits a large silver epergne, designed by Gerhard Munthe, which reflects Grieg’s interest for traditional Norwegian folk culture.

This interest is evident in other parts of the interior as well, such as a bowl decorated with Norwegian rose painting, Jølster handweaving and the wooden frame for the Ole Bull portrait, carved by Lars Kinsarvik.

Among the treasures in the collections you also find Edvard Grieg’s travel equipment, like his travel bag and trunk and his shoes. These objects are evidence of a long life of touring and international collaborations.

The Grieg couple were also ardent letter writers and a travel writing box is one of the belongings left after them.

When disseminating the Grieg collection, Edvard Grieg’s “talismans” are often brought up—they are said to have been brought with him on his travels: the frog, the troll and the pig.

Edvard Grieg’s travel trunk was filled with clothes and concert outfits as well as ribbons of various orders. According to his letters, he used these to make border crossings easier.

Everyday objects such as Grieg’s fishing rod, umbrella or the lantern the Grieg couple used on their way to and from Hop train station give us a closer insight into how the couple lived their life normally.

The Grieg couple enjoyed reading and left a large collection of books and manuscripts, of which a small part only remains at Troldhaugen.

A large share of manuscripts, notes and letters were left to Bergen Public Library by Edvard Grieg himself in 1906 and has remained part of their expanding Grieg collection since.