KODE is Bergen's art museum complex, spread across four buildings around the edges of Lille Lungegårdsvannet — the rectangular lake in the middle of the city. Together they form one of Scandinavia's largest art museum collections, holding Norwegian masters including Edvard Munch, J.C. Dahl, and Harriet Backer, alongside international work by Picasso, Klee, and others. A single combined ticket gives access to all four buildings, and the lake-side setting makes moving between them a pleasant part of the visit.
What's in each building
KODE 1 (Permanenten) holds an extensive collection of decorative arts — silver, furniture, ceramics, and applied arts from the 16th century to the present. KODE 2 focuses on contemporary and international art. KODE 3 (Rasmus Meyers Samlinger) is the most visited: the Rasmus Meyer bequest assembled at the turn of the 20th century, with major Munch works including works from the same period as The Scream, plus Norwegian Romantic landscapes by J.C. Dahl and Adolph Tidemand. KODE 4 (Stenersen Collection) focuses on Modernist work including Picasso prints and Norwegian expressionism.
Edvard Munch at KODE
Bergen's KODE 3 holds one of Norway's strongest Munch collections outside the Munch Museum in Oslo. The works span his career: early realist pieces, the Symbolist works he's most famous for, and later expressionist canvases. If you're visiting Norway partly to see Munch, Bergen's collection is worth your time and far less crowded than Oslo's dedicated Munch Museum.
Visiting practically
A combined ticket covers entry to all four KODE buildings for the day and represents good value if you plan to spend three or more hours here. The buildings are a 2-minute walk from each other around the lake. Start at KODE 3 for the Munch and Norwegian masters, then cross to KODE 1 for the decorative arts. KODE has a good café in KODE 1 and an art bookshop worth browsing. The museums close on Mondays outside summer season.
Prices at a glance
Combined ticket covers all four buildings. Under-19 free. Bergen Card gives a discount.