About the museum
Ship-owners' home from the 1880's
The villa Breidablikk was built in 1881 by Lars Berentsen, a leading merchant and ship owner in Stavanger. It was designed in the Swiss style with touches of Gothic and Romantic influence. In the Norwegian context, it is considered a unique representative for the period in which it was built. Its architect was Henrik Nissen, who also designed other buildings in Stavanger around the same time. The materials, craftsmanship and inventory, with furnishings in Neo-Gothic, Neo-Rococo, Neo-Baroque and other then-current styles, make Breidablikk one of Norway’s richest and best preserved examples of Historicism’s stylistic expressions. The park around the villa was designed by the landscape architect P.H. Poulsson.
Breidablikk remained in the Berentsen family’s possession until 1965, and it was given in its entirety to Stavanger Museum’s cultural history department in 1989.
At Breidablikk you can delve into local history and the history of art, architecture and interior décor. The villa draws you into the story of the Berentsen family and gives intimate glimpses of the life of Stavanger’s upper class in the latter half of the 1800s.
Three floors of the villa are open to the public. Unfortunately, the rooms cannot accommodate wheelchairs, and neither can children’s prams be brought inside. We recommend that you combine a visit to Breidablikk with a visit to the Kielland family’s mansion Ledaal just across the street. The entrance ticket applies for both museums.