Central Norway - Norway - page 273

Hamar's stand-out landmark is this sports arena, a graceful structure with the lines of an
upturned Viking ship. The building, which hosted the speed skating during the 1994
Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, holds 20,000 spectators, encompasses 9600 sq metres of
ice and is 94.6m long. Both in scale and aesthetics, it's an impressive place. From late July
to mid-August, it's open to the public for ice-skating (Nkr80 per day).
Hedmark Museum & Glass Cathedral MUSEUM
(Hedmarkmuseet; 62 54 27 00; www.domkirkeodden.no ; Strandveien 100; adult/child Nkr100/50;
10am-5pm daily mid-Jun-mid-Aug, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun mid-May-mid-Jun & end Aug)
West of town (1.5km), this extensive open-air museum includes 18th- and 19th-century
buildings, a local folk-history exhibit featuring the creepy Devil's Finger (a finger cast in
pewter of unknown origin, but which is said to have caused a number of deaths when it
was removed from the church), the ruins of the castle, and the extraordinary showcase
'glass cathedral' (Domkirkeodden), which dominated Hamar until 1567, when it was
sacked by the Swedes.
The grounds themselves are free to visit and open all the time, and you can also peer
through the glass-house-like structure that surrounds the ruined cathedral but to get inside
this or any of the other museum exhibit buildings you'll need a ticket.
It's a pleasant walk or cycle from town along the lake shore to the museum.
Norwegian Railway Museum MUSEUM
(Norsk Jernbanemuseum; 62 51 31 60; www.norsk-jernbanemuseum.no ; Strandveien 163; adult/
child Nkr90/55; 10am-5pm Jul-mid-Aug, 11am-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun rest of year)
Established in 1896 to honour Norway's railway history, this open-air railway museum lies
on the Mjøsa shore around 3km west of the centre. In addition to lovely historic stations,
engine sheds, rail coaches and steam locomotives, you'll learn about the extraordinary en-
gineering feats required to carve the railways through Norway's rugged terrain.