The museum features material related to anthropology, archaeology, botany, geology, zoology, art, and cultural history.
[1] The University Museum of Bergen was founded in 1825 by Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie, at the time president of the Storting.
Founded under the name University Museum of Bergen with the intent of building large collections in the fields of culture and natural history, it became the grounds for most of the academic activity in the city, a tradition which has prevailed since the museum became part of the University of Bergen.
In its early years, the museum contained numerous art collections, including several works by the painter Johan Christian Dahl, cultural artefacts, and craftwork items.
The increasing research activity at the museum from the late 19th century and onward led directly to the founding of the University of Bergen in 1946.