Vitenfabrikken is both a museum and a science centre located in the city centre of Sandnes. The exhibitions and activites are spread across four floors. The topics explained here are natural science, mathematics, energy and astronomy, regional industrial history and the city of Sandnes’ history.
At Vitenfabrikken, you can visit the following permanent, interactive exhibitions which invite you to take part, explore and learn:
“Abels Sketchbook” shows how the body is a tool for creative activity. Test the brain, your balance and reaction – and much more!
“It has to pay off” is an old saying in Sandnes. The exhibition tells the story of entrepreneurs in the region. Work in the shop, transport goods with the crane in the harbour, check your weight in gold or learn more about money and finances. By the way, did you know that the Jaquard-machine was the first computer ever invented? See how it works at Vitenfabrikken!
The Planetarium is Vitenfabrikken’s main attraction. It was fully renovated in 2019 and is one of the most modern Planetariums in Scandinavia. Lean back and enjoy a trip to the universe!
The Abelloft is a new and magical exhibition which focuses on mathematics with more than 50 experiments and activities.
“100% Energy” explains basic energy sources. The Tesla-Coil is the highlight of the exhibiton. It sends out light arcs with a strength of 700.000 volts. These can play music – or you can try to catch them!
“Øglænd in 150” tells the history of the company Jonas Øglænd AS, well known for brands like DBS, Tempo and Cubus. Take a ride through the streets of Sandnes on the Tempo-moped. The year 2018 marked the 150 year anniversary for the start of Jonas Øglænd, therefore the name of the exhibition.
Lommeparken/pocket park – bio coal is a new exhibition at the entrance to Vitenfabrikken, which opened in mai 2023. Sandnes commune and the philanthropic organisation Bloomberg have been cooperating on the bio coal project since 2022, and the planting scheme in Ruten park is planted in bio coal. The park is one of the largest bio coal areas in the world. The plants outside Vitenfabrikken are also planted in a mixture of bio coal and gravel, and it is possible to see how the roots of some of the plants will grow, through the window in the side of the planting area. Vitenfabrikken has been involved in teaching what bio coal is, to all six graders in the schools in Sandnes. The pupils learn about bio coal before making some of their own.
“Turn on the brain” is a new exhibition that opened in the autumn of 2025. Explore the human body’s most fascinating organ. Our visitors can see the brain from different perspectives in the 6 stations:
Learn about anatomy and neurons. Discover how our senses cooperate with our brain. Learn about artificial intelligence’s way of learning, and compare with our brain’s way. Who can relax the most? Play our mindball game – a game controlled by brain waves. Put your motor skills to the test with balance, reaction time, and ‘brain surgery’. Challenge your memory and problem-solving skills with IQ and air traffic controller tests
The brain is a complex organ, that controls everything we think, feel and do. Therefore this exhibiton is a natural start to exploring the museum, by activating your brain before you move on to our many exhibitions throughout the building.
You can take part in many activities, especially during weekends and school holidays: different shows, films in the Planetarium and workshops where you can make and discover many different things. There are also several temporary exhibitions throughout the year.
Vitenfabrikken also runs a MakerSpace. At MakerSpace, you can learn more about 3D-printing, vinyl cutting and much more. MakerSpace is usually open for children from 10 to 13 years between 15:00 and 17:00 on Wednesday evenings, and 17:00 to 19:30 for those between 13 and 20 years of age. Friday between 12:00 and 15:00 it is open for everyone. MakerSpace is free to use, the only cost is the materials you use. Please contact us for more details in English about MakerSpace and opening hours.
Vitenfabrikken would like all their guests to have good experiences. Good hosts and educators, a pleasant and well-run cafe and an exciting shop helps make Vitenfabrikken a complete cultural institution. Vitenfabrikken welcomes individual visitors, groups, school groups, birthday children, and businesses. Everyone should be able to have fun and find inspiration here!