Historical monument Archives

Rødtangen Bedehus

The prayer house at Rødtangen is a memorial from a time when religious activity was central among most people.

In Hurum, the "free church", i.e. congregations outside the Church of Norway, was strong in the 1800s and 1900s. The proportion of inhabitants who were members of other churches was at the top of the country, in the Holmsbu area it applied to almost one in three inhabitants. The free evangelical congregations gathered many, but even the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) came to Holmsbu and baptized people in the Drammensfjord. One of their leaders was fined by the Supreme Court for harmful activities after cutting a hole in the ice to carry out the baptism of five new members in February.

At first, religious meetings often took place in homes, but as the congregations grew, so did the need for separate meeting rooms. The first to be built was the prayer house in Holmsbu, then came the prayer house at Rødtangen in 1909. The local women's association was behind it, and this prayer house had a Lutheran profile, but with freer forms of meeting than the church's services. Sunday school and collections for missionary work were also held here, and much of the activity took place on weekdays, when the churches were closed anyway. It says something about the commitment that the prayer house was built in a place with such a small crowd. Rødtangen was at its highest in 1930 with 148 inhabitants, today there are about 40 permanent residents here.

Today, most of this business has been closed down, and the houses of worship have been sold as private homes or for other purposes. Like the prayer house at Rødtangen, which is now a community house for the entire population, owned by the Rødtangen permanent residents' association. With art exhibitions and cultural activities, this has also become a cultural center that attracts tourists and visitors who do not parish to Rødtangen.The same applies to the village's oldest prayer house, in Holmsbu, which is privately owned and lent out for events and exhibitions under the name "bdhuset".

The historic Eidsvoll – Sundgata10 – Baptist church

You like to call the house the Baptist Church, but the House of Prayer has also been used, especially by older people.

The house was originally set up by Ole Larsen as the Ebenezer prayer house on Sundtangen in 1894. The house was moved to its current location in 1928. The Baptist church property was registered at Oslo Baptistmenighet Tabernaclet in 1926, and after the move from Sundtangen, the premises were inaugurated on 25 November 1928. It was not until 1963 that the property was registered at Eidsvoll Baptistmenighet, which became independent in 1942.

Lower Ramme – Villa Munch

Edvard Munch bought the property Nedre Ramme as a 47-year-old in 1910 and owned it all his life until his death in 1944. Munch spent a lot of time abroad in the period 1890-1909. After many years of an unhealthy lifestyle, he entered Dr. Jacobsen's clinic in Copenhagen in 1908. In 1909, a competition was announced to decorate the University's banquet hall. Munch probably had the competition for the Hall Decorations in mind when he returned to Norway that same year. He found the first motifs at Skrubben in Kragerø, while at Ramme the artist found the motifs for Forskerne and Alma Mater. They both show a mother with an infant in her arms, with several children playing and exploring around her. Alma Mater, like History and the Sun, became one of three main fields for the Aula decorations. The Alma Mater motif was one of those that Munch rehearsed and worked on the most. His latest version is from 1940. At Nedre Ramme, Munch had a large outdoor studio set up, as well as a printing press on the second floor of the building.

At Ramme, Munch sought proximity to nature, animals, sunlight and the sea. Surrounded by the sea and the forest, together with his animals and helpers, he created beautiful works with motifs of bathers and sun worshippers, people and animals in rural settings. In several of the motifs, you can easily recognize the area's rocky and coastal landscape in a vitalist style. The area and the models were rendered with the artist's modern and bold brushstrokes and sure lines. The motifs became lush, full of life and colour. Then he also wrote himself that he had found the most beautiful property along the Kristiania fjord.

"In Munch's footsteps"
The Framework Foundation for Art, Culture and Nature, together with the Sparebank Foundation and Vestby Municipality, has created a cultural trail on the property, where you can discover Munch's motifs placed in the natural landscape where they belong. You can walk this when you want on your own, and be inspired by the site-specific art on a total of 11 signs along the paths. There is a main information sign up in the forest behind Villa Munch, and the cultural trail ends at Rammelabben with the statue of "Solveig with the apple". It was created by the artist Peter Linde.

Villa Munch
The house was fully renovated in 2023 and can be rented out in its entirety. There are four double rooms with attached bathrooms, several living rooms and kitchens. To see the house indoors, you can book a tour with one of Ramme's tour guides. In Munch's living rooms, they scratched their way to the original color of the walls, and the characteristic yellow color can be found again in three of his self-portraits from his time at Ramme. The house is decorated with copies of his famous Hvitsten works. Munch's fruit and vegetable garden has been recreated, and a small French culture garden has been created that links the property to Havlystparken.

Tekst and content in cooperation with Camilla Augusta Søhol, Rammestiftelsen

Malmskrivergården farm

Malmskrivergården features Sandvika’s oldest preserved buildings, from around 1640.
Malmskrivergården is a small farm that belonged to Bærums Verk and constitutes the oldest preserved settlement in Sandvika. The farm was listed in 1979.

Iron production at Bærums Verk started in 1604 under King Christian IV, who wanted to make Denmark-Norway self-sufficient in iron. In the first years, the ironworks used ore found in the local area, but from 1640 the ore came from Southern Norway by sailing ships during the ice-free time of the year. Ore and iron were unloaded and loaded on the beach below Malmskrivergården. The first ore printer was the German Jon Hagedorn. Here he lived and kept track of unloading, storing and transporting the iron ore up to Bærum Ironworks. This was also a small farm with a farmhouse, a brewery house with a baking oven and a combined barn with a barn building.

The barn is made of slag stone from the blast furnace at Bærums Verk. On the wall hangs a stove plate from the 1700s with Anna Krefting's initials on it (Verkseier på Bærums Verk). From Sandvika, the ore was transported via Vøyen or Evje on sleds with wooden wagons. In the 1700s, they began to shoe the runners with iron, which made them more durable.

In 1835, Sandvika had 127 inhabitants in 27 households. Lime and ore transport employed most people.

Source: Bæ rumhistorie.no and Bærum Municipality

The paper clip

Bindersteinen is a memorial of Johan Vaaler's contribution to the invention of a variant of the paper clip, a seemingly simple yet essential office tool. Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor, applied for a patent for his version of the paper clip in Germany in 1899, and it was granted two years later.

While his design wasn't the one that became the standard, it still stands as a symbol of innovation. (The paper clip, as we know it today, was already in production and use when Vaaler submitted his patent application)

To honor Vaaler (1866-1910) and his invention, the memorial, named Bindersteinen, was created and placed on his family farm in Lierfoss, Aurskog-Høland municipality. This event took place in 1999, exactly 100 years after the original patent application. The project was spearheaded by the Aurskog history team, along with support from the surrounding communities and the Aurskog-Høland municipality.

The artist Arne Lindaas from Rømskog was responsible for designing the Bindersteinen, ensuring that the monument serves as a lasting tribute to Vaaler's legacy. The memorial is accessible to visitors and is signposted from Rv 170, a regional road in the area.

Information from Visit Greater Oslo

The Carl Dørnberger house

Several of Dørnebergers art have been purchased by the National Gallery and he had many famous artists in his circle, including Edvard Munch and Axel Gallén, who both painted portraits of him.

Dørnberger is known to the locals at least as much for his eccentric behaviour. He always wore a distinctive Hamburg hat, he had three legs and carried two pistols in his belt, which he called "Kitty" and "Kitty's brother". He was keen to keep his shooting skills up to par so he aimed for cat tails which resulted in Son having a large population of tailless cats. One of the daughter's suitors was also shot, and Dørnerberger was charged but acquitted by the Court of Appeal because he allegedly shot to castrate him, not to kill. In the house there are bullet holes in many rooms and on the exterior walls.

While sitting on the train once, he stuck a knife through his trouser deep into his wooden leg. Both women and children in the compartment fainted.

Dørnberghuset is a special building, where the oldest part is from around 1680, and later built on in 1700 and 1900. The house is made of timber and half-timbering with original windows made of curved glass.

Ljan Mansion Hvervenbukta

The farms originally belonged to clerical institutions such as the Oslo Bishopric and Hovedøya Monastery, before they were sold and divided. Over time, Ljan was divided into several farms, including Øvre Ljan, Nedre Ljan and Stubljan, all of which had different owners and roles in the area. Stubljan, which was located at Hvervenbukta, became part of the larger Ljans estate and became known for its main building built by Peder Holter, which unfortunately burned down in 1913

At Hvervenbukta there was a magnificent estate – Stubljan (also called Ljan). The farm was mentioned as early as 1308, and after being divided into Øvre, Nedre and Stubljan, it was united under the main farm in the 17th century. In 1765, wealthy man Peder Holter bought the property and built a magnificent main building and a Baroque garden overlooking the bay.

The “manor house” became a gathering place with 32 rooms, a magnificent entrance hall, a crystal hall, a porcelain room and a steady stream of guests – including royalty such as Oscar II, King Haakon and Queen Maud. In the rococo pavilion that still stands by the beach, guests were welcomed with tea and wine when they arrived by sea from Christiania.

In January 1913, the main house burned down as a result of a fire after a damp Christmas celebration – and all that remains today are the remains of the walls and a memorial stone bearing the names of the former owners. Employees saved much of the contents – which today can be found in various places such as museums and private estates.

The area also houses the two Portnerboligene (1898) at Gamle Mossevei – the two charming houses that were used by property guards are now used by artists.

Helleberget, the gardener's residence down by the beach, is today a café known as "Anne på landet". The house dates from the 18th century and housed the gardener family who maintained the baroque garden.

Mrs. Johanne Ingier, ranked among Norway's most beautiful women, took over the estate after she was widowed in 1900. Under her leadership, Ljansgodset flourished until the fire. The estate's wealth came from the forest and the river. Timber was sawn and exported via the harbor at Hvervenbukta, especially to Denmark and the Netherlands. This was an important source of income, and many local families found work here.

Rødtangen Tåkeklokke

Rødtangen had daily calls by the Juno company's ships to and from Drammen and Oslo.Throughout the ages, Rødtangen has been a favorite place for painters, and one of Norway's earliest settlements can be found here.

The pilots made a living as fishermen and pilots. Before telephone and radio communication became common, the pilots on Rødtangen themselves had to scout for boats that were supposed to be relieved. One way to do this was to find a favorable vantage point where they could spot the boats going up the Drammensfjord as early as possible.Asbjørn with the sailor's hat was always ready when the pilot arrived in his fine uniform to be driven out to the ship. The pilots elegantly climbed the rope leader that was lowered from the ship. Now he could lead the voyage safely through the narrow Svelvik Stream and on to Drammen.

There could be a lot of fog and thick haze along the coast and in 1903 the Rødtangen Fog Clock was inaugurated.A fog bell was a bell that was rung when there was poor visibility in the ship's lanes – this was to guide ships sailing in narrow waters, thus saving both ships and human lives from sinking. It was a laborious service and the clock had to be wound up manually, and you had to sit a fog watch in the house.In 1938 electricity was insatalled and a switch was installed in Olea and Asbjørn's house which could turn the fog clock on and off.

The fog clock had an important position during the Second World War when they had hidden an illegal radio and turned the clock into a news centre.

Aulie mill

There have been mills here since the 17th century, while today's mill was ready in 1909 after the old one burned down. In 1919, the mill was modernized and a separate power station with electricity supply was established. This ensured electricity for the farm under which the mill is located, as well as 20 other subscribers in the neighbourhood.

It is stated that the mill ground 296 tonnes of rye, wheat, barley and oats.

During the Second World War, grain was ground at night without the Germans knowing about it. A watch was then kept around the area to scout for suspicious vehicles.

The mill was in operation until the 1980s. After this, it became part of Ne's collections in the museum, before it passed into private hands again. These now want to display the mill for public viewing again.

The stable, which is connected to the mill, was repaired in 2019, and stands today as it was when it was new, and the horses needed a place to rest.

The Møller house is in original condition, and is used today as a summer residence.

Industrial history of Tofte

Tofte has a long industrial history that started in 1896 when Anthon B. Nielsen bought Tofte farm. Nielsen, a well-known businessman and author under the pseudonym Elias Kræmmer, started the construction of a cellulose factory. After several years of production, he sold out and established a new factory in Sagene. The Tofte factory operated for 117 years but was closed by the Swedish forestry group Södra in 2013, following a conflict with the Norwegian authorities and trade unions, which resulted in 275 employees losing their jobs.

The factory was then dismantled and the equipment shipped to Vietnam. In line with the factory's development, the surrounding community also grew, with the construction of workers' housing for the construction workers and new employees, including Swedish workers. Many of the old buildings in Tofte have now disappeared, but "Murgårda", officially "Skogveien", is a street with buildings inspired by English architecture, which were built in 1910. The architect, who was educated in England, also designed the "Old People's House", which became a gathering point for the workers.

A cooperation agreement arose between the workers and the factory management to build Folkets Hus, which later became the site for the formation of the Toftevering trade union.

In 2013, Statkraft took over the area from Södra, with plans to develop the production of advanced biofuels from forest raw materials. They have established a demonstration plant, and if successful, it could lead to full-scale production and new jobs in the future, suggesting that Tofte still has potential for industrial activity.