Theta Museum, Bergen

  

  - darkometer rating: 2 -

A really tiny, one-room museum in the old Bryggen Hanseatic quarter in the heart of Bergen, Norway, this could well be one of the contenders for the title world's smallest museum. Its main exhibit is the room itself that houses the museum – for this reason it is also known under the epithet "Theta Room" (rather than "museum"). It was the secret HQ of a local branch of the Norwegian Resistance during the German occupation in WWII. It was in fact so well hidden that it was only discovered by accident by the Germans, who promptly destroyed it, in 1942. The present room is therefore only a reconstruction.

 
This resistance cell, which called itself the Theta Group (hence the museum's name), primarily had the aim of maintaining communications, including with the Norwegian government in exile in Great Britain. Accordingly, the old radio equipment is the main thing to see in this miniature museum, together with photos, maps and a machine gun on the wall … For more substantial commodification of the topic go to the Resistance Museum in the nearby Bergen Fortress complex.

 
Fitting for a such a formerly clandestine operations room, the museum is supposedly still tricky to locate – though I had no problems finding it at all in actual fact. However, when I did, I found it closed. My arrival in Bergen had been delayed somewhat so I narrowly missed the extremely restricted opening times of this museum that day. The next few days it didn't open at all. So I couldn't see it properly. Shame. But at least I got a glimpse of it from the outside.

 
Opening times: Tuesdays and Saturdays/Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. only! And that only seasonally, between mid May and mid September.

 
Admission: 30 NOK (children 10 NOK).

 
Location: deep in the warren of alleys and passageways in the cluster of timber buildings that is the Bryggen in Bergen. The Theta Museum is hidden behind the Enhjørningen restaurant – the entrance to which is easy enough to make out on the front facade of the Bryggen, namely by its gilded unicorn head. From there take the passageway (Enhjørningsgaarden) leading into Bryggen and carry on for ca. 200 feet (60 m) and look for the sign by the stairs shortly before you get to the small square at the back. The sign also has a photo of the interior; the actual room is on the third floor.  

 

Google maps locator: [60.397648,5.324077]