Rockheim is Norway’s National Museum of Popular Music, located at Brattørkaia 14 in Trondheim. Opened on 5 August 2010, the museum documents Norwegian popular music from the 1950s to the present, covering everything from early rock ’n’ roll and pop to punk, hard rock and extreme metal. It occupies a former flour warehouse dating from around 1920, extensively rebuilt by architectural firm Pir II. The original industrial building is topped by a large glass-clad extension decorated with reproductions of Norwegian album covers and illuminated by thousands of colour-changing LED lights.

The permanent exhibition occupies the sixth floor, with individual rooms representing different decades of Norwegian music history. Much of the exhibition is interactive, combining original instruments, photographs, recordings, music videos and other memorabilia. One of its most distinctive sections is dedicated to Norwegian black metal and recreates Mayhem’s former rehearsal space in Langhus, outside Oslo. The room contains the original sofa from the rehearsal space, together with instruments, amplifiers, posters and other equipment associated with the Norwegian black metal scene.

A particularly significant object in the collection is the enormous black Pearl Super-Pro GLX drum kit formerly owned by Jan-Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg of Mayhem. The kit was used during the recording of Mayhem’s debut album, “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (1994), and was subsequently acquired by Kjetil “Frost” Haraldstad of Satyricon. Over the years, the drums were used on recordings by several Norwegian black metal bands, including Satyricon, 1349, Enslaved, Emperor, Burzum, Arcturus and Darkthrone. After being retired from active use, the kit became part of Rockheim’s permanent collection and is now displayed in the reconstructed Mayhem rehearsal room.

Rockheim has also explored the history of Norwegian black metal through temporary exhibitions. From September 2024 until December 2025, the museum presented “Dårlig stemning – Lyden av følelser i norsk svartmetall” (Bad Vibes – Sonic Emotions in Norwegian Black Metal), originally developed by the National Library of Norway. The exhibition examined the genre’s musical, visual and cultural history through records, photographs, books, fanzines and original documents. Among the material displayed were handwritten manuscripts by former Mayhem vocalist Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin, his correspondence with Slayer Magazine founder Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen and a complete collection of Slayer Magazine issues. Digitised multitrack recordings also allowed visitors to isolate and listen to individual instruments from several classic black metal productions.

The museum is also home to the Rockheim Hall of Fame, established in 2011 to recognise artists and other figures who have contributed to Norwegian popular music. Several notable names from hard rock and metal have been inducted, including Motorpsycho (2016), Stage Dolls (2018), TNT (2019), Mayhem (2021), Backstreet Girls (2023) and Turbonegro (2025). A dedicated exhibition presents the inducted artists and their musical history.

In addition to the permanent collection, Rockheim contains temporary exhibition spaces, a concert and event stage, a museum shop and a restaurant overlooking Trondheim harbour. The museum also preserves recordings, photographs, instruments and other archival material documenting the development of Norwegian popular music.

• Link
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Vimeo

ADDRESS:
Brattørkaia 14, 7010 Trondheim. Norway

Back to Trondheim.