Lepramuseet St. Jørgens Hospital

Lepramuseet St. Jørgens Hospital is one of the world’s few remaining leprosy hospitals preserved as a museum. Located in the heart of Bergen, the hospital dates back to the early 15th century, though most of the buildings standing today are from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was in continuous use until 1946, making it one of the last functioning leprosy hospitals in Europe.

The museum tells the haunting story of those who lived—and died—behind its walls. Patients were often confined here for life, cut off from society due to fear, stigma, and lack of understanding. Personal belongings, medical equipment, and reconstructed patient rooms are on display, alongside extensive information about the development of leprosy research in Norway.

Notably, the hospital became an important centre for international leprosy research, thanks in part to Norwegian doctors like Gerhard Armauer Hansen, who discovered the leprosy bacillus (Mycobacterium leprae). Walking through its wooden halls and wards, visitors are confronted with a powerful narrative of isolation, suffering, and scientific progress in the face of fear and superstition.