Norwegian Post Museum at Maihaugen

The Norwegian Post Museum was established in 1947. The museum has a national responsibility for the history of the postal service. After having been located in Oslo since it opened, the Norwegian Post Museum moved to Maihaugen in Lillehammer in the summer of 2003.

Read more about the Norwegian Post Museum and its exhibitions. 

  Milestones in Norway Post’s history

• 1647 Postal Service established
• 1719 The state assumes responsibility for the Postal Service.
• 1758 The majority of "postal farmers" receive salaries and the rural sub-post office system is formalised.
• 1814 Norway has 25 post offices, 6 branch post offices and 97 sub-post offices.
• 1827 The Postal Service becomes the country’s first steamship owner with the purchase of the 'Constitution' and 'Prince Carl’ steamships, in an effort to improve postal services along the coast and abroad.
• 1854 The Postal Service is involved in establishing the first railway line from Christiania to Eidsvoll. The Rail Transport Law of 1848 states that mail should be carried by train and that postal stations should be located in train stations.
• 1855 The first Norwegian stamp is issued.
• 1855 First telegraph line between Christiania and Drammen. Where the telegraph lines ended the Postal Service took over.
• 1872 The postcard is introduced.
• 1871 A new Postal Services Act introduces a simplified price system with a domestic postage rate, post boxes at post offices and mailboxes at the addressees' doors.
• 1885 Rural postal services are established.
• 1893 Hurtigruten (The Norwegian Coastal Express) is established to serve Northern Norway, and the Postal Service is on board
• 1903 The first franking machine is put into use. It is a Norwegian invention.
• 1920 First official air route opens with Norway Post on board.
• 1943 The postgiro comes to Norway
• 1950 Norway’s Post Office Savings Bank (Postsparebank) is founded.
• 1952 New Mailbox Act stipulates that everyone is to have a mailbox.
• 1968 Postcodes are introduced to better manage the increasing volume of mail.
• 1976 Oslo Post Terminal and Postgirobygget are opened. They are renovated in 2003.
• 1984 An A-B-C pricing system based on delivery time replaces the system based on content.
• 1995 Postbanken is established as an independent bank following the merger of Postbanken and Postgiro.
• 1995 Statens Datasentral (SDS) is bought by Norway Post and merges with Norway Post’s Data Centre and is renamed Posten SDS.
• 1996 On 1 December Norway Post changes from an administrative agency of the government to a state owned company with limited liability: Norway Post BA.
• 2000 Norway Post’s plans for transforming traditional post offices to Post in Shops are approved by Parliament.
• 2000 Norway Post buys OSC/Wajens to focus on heavier goods and cargo.
• 1998-2000 Norway Post acquires the courier company TSI and becomes the largest express carrier in Scandinavia. From 2003 the company becomes known as Box. 
• 2001 Norway Post SDS is reorganised and changes its name to ErgoGroup.
• 2002 Parliament makes Norway Post a limited company on 1 July: Norway Post AS. 
• 2002 Norway Post acquires CityMail and begins competing in the Swedish postal market.
• 2003 Norwegian Post Museum moves to Maihaugen in Lillehammer 
• 2006 Norway Post buys Frigoscandia, OptiMail AB and establishes CityMail in Denmark.
• 2004 Norway Post acquires Nor-Cargo.
• 2005 Norway Post enters a new agreement with DnBNOR/Postbanken for the provision of banking services until 2013.
• 2006 ErgoGroup buys the Norwegian company Alliance ASA and the Swedish company SYSteam.
• 2007 Norway Post acquires the Swedish transport and logistics group Transflex. 
• 2007 The foundation stone for the South-East Norway Terminal at Robsrud in Lørenskog is laid by Minister of Transport and Communications Liv Signe Navarsete and CEO Dag Mejdell. 
• 2007 ErgoGroup acquires Bekk Consulting.
• 2008 New Bring brand launched, Norway Post logo modernised.
• 2008 Conversion of 124 post offices to Post in Shops begins after Parliamentary approval.
• 2008 Bring Citymail expands in Sweden, now reading 52% of households.
• 2009 More letters and mail are moved from road transport to rail. Letters and parcels from Oslo to Bergen transfer to rail.
• 2009 Norway Post stops the distribution of advertising on Fridays and Saturdays to adapt capacity to the fall in volume.
• 2009 Systematic HSE efforts produce savings in future pension and insurance agreements equivalent to MNOK 100 each year.
• 2009 Bring commences operations of a goods train between Oslo and Rotterdam – and achieves major environmental benefits by moving transport from road to rail.
• 2009 Bring Citymail Denmark ceases mail distribution in Copenhagen.
• 2010 A new post office concept is launched to adapt post offices to new customer requirements and reduced traffic.
• 2010. In January the South-East Norway terminal opens – and King Harald performs the official opening ceremony.