William Henry Bartlett, Halmstad from Högalid
The painting is the first work to be registered in the collection of Halland Museum Society
From the collection of Hallands Konstmuseum

Hallands Museiförening

As a member of Hallands Museiförening (the Halland Museum Society), you get free admission to Hallands Konstmuseum, advanced tours of exhibitions and invitations to various events, presentations and concerts.

You also get a unique opportunity to influence the museum’s development by participating in Museum Society meetings. Every year we also undertake a fall trip to a cultural destination.

Hallands Konstmuseum includes the Hallandsgården Open-air Museum on Galgberget in Halmstad, a pleasant destination to which admission is free, apart from certain events.

About Hallands Museiförening

Hallands Museiförening was founded in 1886. One of its founders was the manufacturer Alfred Wallberg of Slottsmöllan, the Castle Mill, who led the society’s work together with other financially powerful and prominent men. From the beginning, the regional governor was appointed chairman of the society, a tradition that continues to this day.

The purpose of the society was to collect objects from a bygone era in order to eventually display them for the public in an exhibition space. At first, the group used portions of Norre Port, the old Halmstad city gate, for this purpose. The society also saved some buildings from demolition and purchased others, including Kirsten Munch’s house on Bastionsgatan (Halmstad), Brooktorpsgården on Kyrkogatan (Halmstad) and the buildings that make up the Hallandsgården Open-air Museum, which was founded in 1925.

The society worked on an entirely voluntary basis until its first employee, Erik Salvén, PhD, was hired in 1928. His most important responsibility was to oversee the construction of a new museum building: Hallands Museum. In September 1933, the building on Tollsgatan was completed with funding from the national lottery.

Until 1979, it was Hallands Museiförening that conducted all museum activities throughout the county under the leadership of a county custodian of antiquities. Then Stiftelsen Hallands länsmuseer (the Halland County Museums Foundation) was formed together with what was then Varbergs Museum. Hallands Museiförening donated all of its objects, collections, funds and properties to the foundation and assumed the role of promoting and supporting the museum.