We’re happy to welcome the Vestfold Museums to the Flickr Commons. Vestfold is a consolidated museum located in Vestfold in the south-eastern part of Norway. The museums and archival institution in about one to two hours by train or car from Oslo, the capital.

The museums are diverse, ranging from Viking and medieval history, the development of the cities of Tønsberg and Larvik, industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the history of whaling to contemporary art.

The museum collects, preserves, and maintains vast collections of archives, art, photos and objects. Their goal is to make their collections available to the public through exhibitions and digital representations, including on Flickr.

They have a large collection of photographic images dating from the 1850s until present. “One important collection is aerial views covering the whole county, dating from the 1930s to the 1970s. Our audience is very interested in this collection, and it is therefore our choice for our launch on The Commons,” said Kristin Halaas, Collections Manager for the museum. “The images document the changing of the landscape and the increasing urbanization, and our audience loves seeing their family home or farm and how it and its surroundings have changed.”

According to Halass, there are many more photos to add and they will also include other collections in The Commons. Stay tuned and be sure to follow their photostream if you like what you see.