We are preserving Troldhaugen for the future

Good news for Troldhaugen!

The exterior restoration has been completed. The scaffolding has been removed, and the villa has been restored to its deep ochre yellow colour and repainted using traditional linseed oil paint.

Specialists from the City of Bergen have repaired areas affected by rot and restored the villa’s cladding and original exterior details. More than 20 windows were dismantled, repaired and repainted before being reinstalled. The building has also been secured against leaks. Together, these efforts have given both the façade and the structure new life for many years to come.

Director Petter Snare has also received positive news from Bergen Municipality, the owner of the historic villa:

“We are now moving forward with plans to upgrade the villa’s interior, and the municipality has allocated funding to continue the work on the building.”, Snare says.

The reallocated funds, amounting to around NOK 7 million, come from KVU funding (concept selection studies), which finance assessments of major public investment projects.

“We are very pleased that the city government is now prioritising Troldhaugen. It has been a long time since the building last underwent any form of restoration, and we are now able to return the villa to how it looked when Nina and Edvard lived there,” says Snare.

For the first time in over a hundred years, the villa now stands completely empty, and the next phase of the work will take place indoors. Kode’s curators will restore the interior as closely as possible to how it looked when the Griegs lived here.

“We have carried out a thorough assessment of the villa over the past few years, which Bergen Municipality is now using as a basis for the continued work,” says Christian Grøvlen, Director of Music and Composers’ Homes at Kode.

Carrying out this work now will save both time and future costs.

What will be done

Not since the mid-1950s has such extensive work been carried out inside Grieg’s villa. The plan now is to reverse changes made at that time and restore the interiors to how they were in Grieg’s day.

Planned works

• New toilets, a new entrance and improved visitor areas will be built in the basement
• The technical systems will be modernised
• A new technical room will be established in the basement
• Furniture that was not originally part of the villa will not be reinstated
• The pantry and serving area will be restored with historically accurate interiors
• All lowered ceilings (a later addition) will be removed.
• The maid’s room and the kitchen will be restored
• The bathroom on the second floor (a later addition) will be removed
• Necessary reinforcement of load-bearing structures

Together, these measures will ensure that the conditions inside the home of Nina and Edvard Grieg meet a high and sustainable standard for the future.

What is happening at Troldhaugen while the villa is closed?

The villa was originally scheduled to remain closed until May 2026, but the reopening has now been postponed by one year as a result of the new plans.

A closed villa will not affect the summer season:

“We will ensure that visitors continue to enjoy a rich programme at Troldhaugen, with open café and museum, guided tours of the gardens, and daily concerts in Troldsalen. We are also exploring new ways of presenting the site and the villa in the period ahead,” says Christian.

Troldhaugen is thus entering a period of both renewal and activity – and when the doors reopen, visitors will encounter a villa that reflects Grieg’s own time more closely than it has in decades.

We look forward to filling Troldhaugen – and soon also the villa - with people and music once again!