History of the Museum

Pentti Kronqvist (born 1938) is the creator of the Nanoq Museum. He is very grateful for all the people that have helped him to build the museum and for the financial help that sponsors have given.

Pentti Kronqvist have participated in several journeys and expeditions to the Arctic, thereamong Greenland, Svalbard and Spitzbergen and the Russian Ice Sea coast.
You can read more about Pentti Kronqvist on the link below!

It all started in Fäboda...

Pentti Kronqvist built eight cottages in Fäboda between years 1956 adn 1983. He called the first house he built the Bear\\'s Lair (Björnidet). People became interested in this unique village in the middle of the forest, and soon it was a popular attraction. When Kronqvist saw that people liked visitingthe place he had created, he came up with an idea to build a special Arctic museum next to the Bear\\'s Lair.

The Association Nanuk r.f.

The building project began in 1988 by the newly founded association Nanuk r.f. With the help of donations and voluntary work, the museum opended its doors in May 1991, after thousands of hours of work. Today there are seven more buildings in the area in addition to the main building and the Bear\'s Lair, built over the years.

Every year Nanoq gets 8,000 - 10,000 visitors from all over the world. The museum presents Arctic art, life and culture, stretching from Siberia to Greenland and including expeditions to the North Pole and the South Pole. The museum also has an extensive collection of Arctic books and DVDs.