Spontaneous museum collection after sleep exchange!

The fact that Blaafarveværket and Buskerudmuseet were to meet is not so unnatural, but what triggered the invitation this time was of a more special kind. It just so happens that this autumn we're putting up a brand new toilet building at Haugfoss. When the old one was demolished, we discovered that the sleepers under the building and out towards Simoa and Haugfossen just a few metres below were overdue for replacement. That's when director Tone Sinding Steinsvik came up with the idea of asking if the Buskerud Museum and the Krøderbanen railway could help with new sleepers. Help was at hand and the same day new sleepers were in place at Haugfoss, collected at express speed from Kløftefoss.

Steinsvik, who always has more than one thought in his head at the same time, looked at the weather forecast and thought that in addition to saying thank you, Blaafarveværket could invite the entire Buskerud Museum to the Cobalt Mines before winter sets in. And the invitation was well received. With just under a week's notice, around half of the Buskerud Museum's 55 permanent employees turned up, something that Museum Director Tom W. Oddby, who was also present, was very pleased with. 

Hallingdal Museum, Ringerike Museum / Veien Cultural Heritage Park, Fossesholm, Laagendalsmuseet, Villa Fridheim, Krøderbanen and Lauvlia and Skredsvig-Hagan kunstnerhjemmene i Sigdal and Sigdal Museum were all represented at Koboltgruvene on Wednesday. 

The day's programme at Koboltgruvene included a guided tour of the mines and a visit to the Kittelsen Museum. In between, there was time for lunch and a professional chat between museum staff. In this setting, there are many who have a lot in common, something both Oddby and Steinsvik touched on when they spoke in plenary. Steinsvik explained how the buildings at Koboltgruvene are built with a strong focus on the reuse of materials. One example was the old Vikersund school from the 1800s, which was dismantled and reused at Koboltgruvene when the school was due to be demolished.

Both museums have a number of old buildings and Buskerudmuseet, with its 250 buildings, the oldest dating back to the 14th century, has a strong focus on conservation and maintenance. So it was fitting that Blaafarveværket and Steinsvik were able to invite Oddby & Co to visit "the warehouse". Old roof tiles and hand-blown windows are worth their weight in gold to museums, and Blaafarveværket has a lot of them that can now benefit other museums.

Restoration, maintenance, mines, art and tourism are just some of the things the museums have in common. And speaking of art, it was fitting to end the day at the Kittelsen Museum. This is probably where Lillian Holm from Lauvlia felt most at home. Together with her colleague Sandra Bacianskiene from Villa Fridheim, she had made the trip to "Modum's roof" this Wednesday. They both agreed that such gatherings are very enjoyable and that it's nice to be able to meet other colleagues in the museum industry to exchange experiences. 

And what happened to Steinsvik's plan to showcase the Cobalt Mines before winter set in? It went off without a hitch when the first snowflakes of the year fell as lunch was being eaten.