On the coast of Andenes in northern Norway, a museum is being carved into the landscape, looking a bit like the Earth’s crust has peeled back. It’s called The Whale, a new knowledge and experience centre dedicated to (you guessed it) whales, and it’s due to open to the public on June 4, 2027.
Designed by Danish architect Dorte Mandrup, the building’s smooth, undulating roofline resembles a wave, or a whale’s hump. Or, as described by Mandrup herself, ‘as if a giant with a razor-sharp knife had loosened the thin skin of the Earth’s crust and carved out a hollow beneath to reveal another world.’
The roof is held up without a single supporting pillar getting in the way, so the space mirrors the sea and sky outside. The roof will be publicly walkable too, with panoramic views over the Norwegian Sea, the midnight sun in summer or the northern lights in winter, depending on when you turn up.
Inside, the exhibitions sound wild. Highlights include life-sized wooden sculptures of five real killer whales known to swim in Norwegian waters, a Species Gallery featuring all 90 modern-day whale species in one art installation, and an Under the Skin vault stocked with anatomical specimens, including jars holding an entire whale’s blood, a ceiling hung with baleen, and rib bones arching overhead like something out of a gothic cathedral.
There will also be an immersive soundscape room built around the frequencies of whale calls. Some are so low they resonate physically in your body. Finally, guests can take a look around the Library of Relations, which confronts the darker history of industrial whaling.
The museum sits right on the coast next to Ravnholmen, a small rocky island connected to the mainland by a breakwater, and near the historic Andenes Lighthouse, which has guided ships since 1859. Andenes is already one of the best places on Earth for spotting whales in the wild, so a trip here can easily combine a trip to this striking museum and catching some open-water sightings in the same visit.
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