The skittle alley at the Henrik Ibsen Museum

About

The farm is located in a beautiful agricultural landscape at Venstøp outside Skien, and comprises the protected main building dating from 1815, the brewer’s house, farmhand’s room, barn and storehouse. The outside area is the perfect place for a rest, and visitors to the museum can use the skittle alley reconstructed in the garden, as we know that guests of Ibsen’s parents, Knud and Marichen, did in the 1830s.

Skittles
Skittles is one of the world’s oldest competitive games and is considered the forerunner of modern-day bowling. The first open wooden skittle alleys were built in the 18th century but it was not widely played until the 1800s. The game was brought to Scandinavia in the Middle Ages by monks. It became extremely popular as a social game in the 18th and 19th centuries, initially among the upper class and later more widely in society. In Norway, skittles flourished in the mid-1800s, when a number of private skittle alleys were built, particularly in Christiania – modern-day Oslo – and the surrounding area.

Henrik Ibsen Museum
When Henrik Ibsen was seven years old, the entire Ibsen family moved to their summer home at Venstøp. This was to be the family’s home until Henrik moved from Skien to Grimstad, and it is the only one of his homes in Skien that is still standing. Visit the Henrik Ibsen Museum to find out about the world-famous playwright’s childhood and early years.