Today, Holmsbu is a beautiful white coastal gem around the harbour basin along the Drammensfjord. A favorite spot for visiting hotel guests and boaters with lively restaurants during the summer months.
It has not always been like this, but people have lived in the area for a very long time, from the time when the waterway was the main transport and most people were farmers and the animals grazed where the town is now located. From the 1500s, the term "docking place" arose. It describes a place where officials were engaged in timber exports. From 1720, timber began to be shipped from Holmsbu. The farmers did not like this. They wanted to trade directly with foreign buyers, who came with their ships, especially those from Holland.
From around 1865, fishing became a primary industry in Holmsbu. The inhabitants numbered about 400 people divided into 89 families, almost half of whom were fishermen. Salmon and sea trout were fished, as well as small herring and sprats. In the 1930s, there were two canning factories in Holmsbu where they packed small herring, meat and fish in cans.
Holmsbu attracted many well-known painters thanks to the great light. They spent the summer in the village with their easels and paintbrushes. Among them, Henrik Sørensen is the most famous, and today there is an art museum in Støa with his legacy and he was the main man behind the renovation and decoration of Holmsbu Church. H.Sørensen is also the painter of the beautiful murals in Oslo City Hall.
The summer tourists from Oslo and Drammen eventually came to Holmsbu with the steamboat, also called the "dad boat" since mothers and children lived here all summer, while the dads came with the boat on weekends.
Many guests returned year after year, creating a close relationship with the place, which was characterized by stable ties between visitors and locals, consisting of fishermen and farmers. From 1911, Holmsbu was also home to an artists' colony, which linked the hotel to the country's most famous artists. In addition, the hotel served as a party venue for residents during major occasions.
Today, Holmsbu Badehotell has become a place for conferences and individual guests. The restaurant offers a beautiful view of the Drammensfjord and is open all summer. The decoration in the dining room originates from Erling Clausen, an artist from the colony. He had possibly paid for his stay with works of art, a common practice among artists. The decoration depicts Holmsbu from the 1930s, with famous people and scenes from daily life, including the colourful fisherman Julius Iversen and the actor Erling Drangsholt.
The motifs capture the essence of life in Holmsbu before World War II, such as fishing and seafaring. A mysterious detail is the image of the passenger ship "Stella Polaris", similar to today's luxury cruise ships. Although the ship never visited the Drammensfjord, Clausen raises the question of whether he dreamed of Holmsbu as a cruise destination.
Tourism is still important to Holmsbu, but increased visits from cruise ships could have been overwhelming for the small village. This emphasizes a desire on the part of the locals to keep some secrets about the place to themselves. Holmsbu therefore remains a combination of historical memories and modern hospitality. In the center of Holmsbu you will find several protected wooden houses, including "Schulerudgården" where Anne Cath, later Vestly, and her brother Mentz spent their childhood summers.