In the courtroom you can try a real judge’s chair, or try standing in the witness stand. On display is a judge’s robe that belonged to the first woman judge on the Frostating court. The court furniture is originally from this court as well, which was located down the street at the old workhouse for a time.

You can find our courtroom across the hall from the reception.

Summer exhibit: Courtroom artist Esther Marie Bjørneboe

In an age when almost everything is photographed and shared, courtroom sketching remains a fascinating phenomenon. Here is an arena where cameras are still forbidden and only drawing is allowed. A trial concerns guilt and punishment, but also something larger: the very rule of law plays out here.

For that reason, transparency matters. Journalists are there to report what takes place behind closed doors, and courtroom artists work alongside them. A successful courtroom artist captures the atmosphere of the room.

In Esther Maria Bjørneboe’s drawings, the courtroom is rendered through a rich play of  expression and gesture. Her images reveal nuance and complexity, reminding us that few things are ever simply black and white.

The exhibit is translated into English alongside the Norwegian text.