Norway's national museum of women's history is tucked into the cobbled streets of Øvrebyen, the old quarter of Kongsvinger. It occupies Rolighed, a Swiss chalet-style villa built in 1857 in Løkkegata. The building alone is worth seeing, but it is the story of the woman who grew up here that makes it memorable.
Dagny Juel was born in Kongsvinger on 8 June 1867. Her family moved to Rolighed when she was eight. She trained as a pianist in Kristiania, then travelled to Berlin, where she walked into the wine tavern Zum Schwarzen Ferkel in 1893 and became the centre of one of Europe's most intense artistic circles. Edvard Munch, August Strindberg, and the Polish writer Stanisław Przybyszewski were all regulars. Munch painted her several times; she is widely believed to be the model for Madonna. She had a brief affair with Strindberg, then married Przybyszewski. She wrote poetry and plays, had two children, and lived a restless bohemian life across Berlin, Prague, and Warsaw. In 1901, at the age of 33, she was shot and killed by a family friend in Tbilisi, Georgia. The circumstances remain debated to this day.
The museum was opened by Queen Sonja in 1995 and gained national status in 1997. Its permanent exhibition traces Dagny Juel's life from the rooms of Rolighed to the salons of Berlin. Changing exhibitions cover broader themes in Norwegian women's history, from suffrage and labour rights to art and everyday life.
Dagny Juel was born in Kongsvinger on 8 June 1867. Her family moved to Rolighed when she was eight. She trained as a pianist in Kristiania, then travelled to Berlin, where she walked into the wine tavern Zum Schwarzen Ferkel in 1893 and became the centre of one of Europe's most intense artistic circles. Edvard Munch, August Strindberg, and the Polish writer Stanisław Przybyszewski were all regulars. Munch painted her several times; she is widely believed to be the model for Madonna. She had a brief affair with Strindberg, then married Przybyszewski. She wrote poetry and plays, had two children, and lived a restless bohemian life across Berlin, Prague, and Warsaw. In 1901, at the age of 33, she was shot and killed by a family friend in Tbilisi, Georgia. The circumstances remain debated to this day.
The museum was opened by Queen Sonja in 1995 and gained national status in 1997. Its permanent exhibition traces Dagny Juel's life from the rooms of Rolighed to the salons of Berlin. Changing exhibitions cover broader themes in Norwegian women's history, from suffrage and labour rights to art and everyday life.