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Henrik Ibsen lived abroad for large periods of his life, but in 1891 he returned to Norway, and here in Arbins gate 1 he lived his last 11 years with his wife Suzanne. Here he wrote his last two plays.

Ibsen's dramas are performed on stages around the world, but it was in this apartment that he lived and composed his last dramatic works.

In Arbins gate, it is possible to get a glimpse behind the façade of the aging poet.

The apartment has been returned to Ibsen's time with the poet's own furniture and fixtures, original colours and décor.

"Sneak peek" into some of the rooms

Suzannah Ibsen was not very happy with the apartment the couple first had, in Victoria Terrace, with the long, cold hallway. She asked Henrik to find a new one, and that's how they ended up in Arbins gate 1.

In a letter to Suzannah, Ibsen describes the new home as follows:

"I will have a large study with direct access from the entrance hall, so that the people who are looking for me do not have to enter any other room in the home. So you have at your disposal a large corner salon with a balcony and next to this an almost equally large living room with an entrance to the dining room, where we can entertain 20-22 people and with a niche for the buffet, which I have to acquire. From the dining room you go straight into the spacious library room and from there straight into your bedroom which is considerably larger than my current one here on the terrace. My bedroom is next door and has a balcony. You do not need to walk the corridor except when you want to take a bath. Large bright kitchen, pantry are of course also there and many built-in wall cabinets. As I said, I think you will be satisfied."

  • Henrik Ibsens study Haakon Harriss

Henrik Ibsens study

In his study hangs Christian Krohg's portrait of the Swedish playwright August Strindberg.

Ibsen bought the painting for 500 kroner and called the painting The Emerging Madness.

When Ibsen celebrated his 70th birthday in Copenhagen, he is said to have commented on the painting and said; "He must hang there and take care,... for he is my mortal enemy."

And with Strindberg staring in the back, Henrik Ibsen wrote John Gabriel Borkman (1896) and When We Dead Awaken (1899).

The dining room

Although up to 20-22 people could be accommodated in the dining room, large parties was rare in the Ibsen couple's home. Sunday dinners, on the other hand, with Sigurd, Bergliot and little Tancred was more common.

In his autobiography, Believe It or Not, Tancred writes: 

"Every Sunday we had dinner at my grandparents' house in Arbins gate, and I looked forward to that, because we always got such delicious food there. And Grandma had made it herself. She always cooked the food, otherwise Grandpa wouldn't eat.

During these Sunday dinners, there were always discussions about something that I didn't understand, but that made me sit with my heart in my throat, because once in a while, "The Three", i.e. Grandpa, Grandma and Dad, could get so eager and angry that I was afraid they would fly at each other.

No, they were not to be wise about, because just as it was, for example, Grandma, calmly and kindly, could ask for the potato platter, and just as calmly and kindly it was sent - whereupon the discussion continued as violently as before."

  • Suzannah Ibsen's library IBSEN Museum & Teater

Suzannah Ibsen's library

We would assume that the library was Henrik Ibsen's favorite room, but it was Suzannah who spent the most time here.

"The garden of the soul" she is said to have called this room.

Here she sat and read while Ibsen sat in the study. But in the evenings he came in to her and sat down in one of the wicker chairs, and Suzannah read aloud to him and translated books, letters, and newspaper articles.

Suzannah was a well-read woman and kept up to date with new literature, so for Ibsen she was an interesting and challenging conversation partner.

  • Henrik Ibsens bed Anne - Lise Reinsfelt

Henrik Ibsen's bedroom, and his last words

During the last weeks of Ibsen's life, he was more or less unconscious. The nurse tried to keep the family's spirits up and said; Today, Dr. Ibsen looked much better.

Ibsen, who had not said anything for a while, sat up and exclaimed; "On the contrary!", lay back in the pillows, went into a coma and died the next day.

The doctor did not think this was an answer to what had been talked about, but in any case, it is an accurate summary of the famous playwright's life and work.

Ibsen died on 23 May 1906, 78 years old.

Museum24:Portal - 2024.10.30
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