Kategori: Historical monument

Storedal Kultursenter (cultural site)

Storedal Cultural Center is a park and cultural facility located in scenic surroundings in Skjeberg outside of Sarpsborg. The initiator and founder was Erling Stordahl, 1923 – 1994. 

Erling Storedal inherited Storedal farm from his father in 1957. Erling was blind and wanted to do something else than farming. 800 years earlier King Magnus The Blind was born at Storedal. With this in mind, the idea of of making Storedal a park and a cultural center came up. Storedal center is created by artists, scientists and garden architects and is truly a great experience and worth a visit. The sculpture "Ode til lyset" ("Ode to the light") by Arnold Haukeland, music by Arne Nordheim, is 19,5 meters tall and one of the big attraction on the site. An outdoor amfi theatre and a garden with 250 different kind of plants are two other attractions. It is easy to see why the cultural center is located here.

Many archeological findings reveal early settlement here. Nearby there are also prehistoric rock carvings. In the center of the park replicas of rock carvings are seen, the carvings translated into Braille. The site has facilities for meetings and other events for rent all year round, and it is open to the public during summer. Sarpsborg is the municipality with the most registered prehistoric rock carvings in Norway. These carvings are from the Bronze Age (1800 – 500 B.C.). They are to be found, stretching from Onsøy in the north to Gothenburg (Sweden) in the south (roughly 400 kilometres apart). It is uncertain what kind of role these carvings have played. It is possible that they have had some mythological purpose. Another theory is that they could have been made to show a person's rank/position regarding rights or political issues. The motives are mainly ships, human beings and symbols of the sun. 

 

 

Funnefoss museum

Exhibit of dwellings from recent past, with description of a tight-knit industrial community and its way of life. Guided tours for groups by prior arrangement April-October.

 

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

Cementmuseet

The cement is ground into a fine powder and mixed to make concrete, one of the world's most important building materials. The factory was one of the first in Norway to adopt modern production methods, and it grew to become one of the largest cement producers in the country. Cement production peaked in 1973 when 1,082,677 tonnes were produced. A total of almost 29 million tonnes of cement were produced in Slemmestad.After more than 130 years of production, the factory was closed in 2014, and parts of the buildings are now preserved as cultural monuments.

The workers at the factory had many different tasks. Among other things, they worked on mixing raw materials such as limestone and clay, looking after the kilns where the cement was made, and packing the cement for further distribution. The work was heavy and required both technical knowledge and physical strength. In addition, they also had to make sure that the machines were in order and that the workplace was safe. Although technology has evolved, the work at the factory was hard, and the conditions were challenging for those who worked there.

The workers at Slemmestad Cementfabrikk received several benefits over the years. In the 1800s and early 1900s, working conditions were harsh, but gradually better wages, pension schemes, health insurance and improved health and safety were introduced. Workers were also given access to unions that protected their rights, as well as training and education to adapt to new technologies. In addition, holidays and leisure, social activities and local community support gradually became part of working life at the factory. There are strong traditions for going in the 1 May train from Heggedal to Slemmestad and followed by a party in Vollen.

Slemmestad Cement Museum contains objects, archives and photographs from Aktieselskabet Christiania Portland Cementfabrik which was located at Slemmestad and is part of Slemmestad library. Guided tours for groups, and can be opened on request in the library.

Prøysenhuset – A Place of Storytelling and Culture

Welcome to Prøysenhuset – A Place of Storytelling and Culture

This summer, step into the world of Alf Prøysen, one of Norway’s most beloved cultural figures. Prøysenhuset, the Prøysen Museum, invites visitors of all ages to experience his enchanting stories, music, and legacy in a setting filled with warmth and nostalgia. Whether you're traveling with family, your partner, or exploring on your own, there’s something exciting waiting for you.

Alf Prøysen
Alf Prøysen (23 July 1914 – 23 November 1970) was a Norwegian author, poet, playwright, songwriter and musician. Prøysen was one of the most important Norwegian cultural personalities in the second half of the 20th century. He was born in Ringsaker and is known for his series of books featuring Mrs.Pepperpot. The house where he was born and raised and its surroundings have now become the Prøysen museum, 'Prøysenhuset' 

Experience the Prøysen Museum
The Prøysen Museum is a national cultural centre built to remember, honour, and spread knowledge of Alf Prøysen's work.  Through a guided tour of the Prøysen Cottage and the exhibition "Livets runde", visitors get an insight into Alf Prøysen's upbringing, life, and work. There are events throughout the year, but there are two main seasons during which the Prøysen Museum is particularly busy. "Christmas at Prøysen” and “Summer at Prøysen” offer a tight-packed program with experiences and together-time through activities, theatre performances, and concerts all generations can enjoy.
– See upcoming events at the Prøysen Museum

The experiences are lined up all year round, with two main seasons where Prøysenhuset really comes to life: "Christmas in Prøysen" and "Summer in Prøysen". These seasons offer theater performances, concerts and interactive activities that create great moments for the whole family.

In addition to the main seasons, Prøysenhuset offers a number of cultural experiences throughout the year. The weekend program includes presentations, storytelling and musical performances in Café Julie, where you can also enjoy homemade food in pleasant surroundings. Families with children can explore activity rooms, play in Mikkelikskiskogen and participate in "Bolla's picture hunt". For companies and groups, tailor-made programs are offered, including guided tours, storytelling and specially adapted catering in Café Julie.

See the full program here

Opening hours
Monday – Wednesday: Open on request for groups
Thursday – Friday: 10:00 – 16:00
Saturday – Sunday: 12:00 – 17:00

Kafé Julie
Welcome to Kafé Julie! Named after Alf's mother, the café offers good, homemade food made from scratch. Here you can enjoy generous portions at pleasant prices, whether you want a delicious lunch or just a cup of coffee with freshly baked cake. Singing with the food is not uncommon! The café follows the house's opening hours, and for groups and events, serving and catering are offered on request.
Read more about the offer at Kafé Julie here

Other events in Prøysen
Prøysenhuset organizes a number of family and cultural events throughout the year.
Follow Prøysenhuset on Facebook to stay up to date with what's happening and read more at proysenhuset.no

Learn about Alf Prøysen
The exhibition "The Circle of Life"
Our knowledge of Alf Prøysen is constantly evolving. His writings are constantly gaining new depth and interpretations, which in turn open doors in step with the times we live in. In the digitized exhibition "The Circle of Life" you can immerse yourself in Prøysen, and discover the relevance and genius of his word art.

Visit Prøysenstua
Get to know the person and author Alf Prøysen. Our facilitators will take you on a storytelling session in Prøysenstua, where Alf Prøysen grew up. Here you will hear about his childhood and upbringing on the Prøysen farmstead. The storytelling session also includes singing or reading a stub.

Whether you want to learn more about Prøysen's life and work, enjoy a concert or let your children explore the adventurous surroundings, Prøysenhuset is a destination that offers memorable experiences all year round.
Tickets are purchased at Prøysenhuset upon arrival.

Prices
Adult: 155 kr
Child: 80 kr
Student: 115 kr
Honorary: 115 kr
Family: 350 kr

For groups of more than 10 people, separate prices apply. Café Julie and the shop can be visited without an entrance ticket. Separate ticket prices apply during the events "Summer in Prøysen" and "Christmas in Prøysen".

Sonia Henie

Henie early showed a talent in figure skating and already at the age of eleven she participated in her first Winter Olympics. The following year, at the age of twelve, Henie won the first of five consecutive Norwegian Championships. From 1927–1936 she won three Olympic gold medals, six European Championships and ten straight World Championships. At the age of 25, she was appointed Knight of the 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav, the youngest person ever.

Henie signed a tour contract in the United States and did a number of skating shows before going to Hollywood, where she signed a five-year film contract with 20th Century Fox. Her first Hollywood film, One In A Million (1936), was a formidable success. By 1940 she was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, alongside Clark Gable and child star Shirley Temple. Alongside her film career, Henie continued to give her popular ice shows, and also visited Norway to sold-out stadiums.

In 1955, Sonja Henie met shipowner and art collector Niels Onstad (1909–1978). They married the following year, and in the years that followed, building up her art collection became an all-consuming interest for both of them. Henie entered the arts with as much commitment and drive as she did sports and film. She collected art by Pablo Picasso, Pierre Soulages, Fernand Legér, Jakob Weidemann and Anna-Eva Bergmann. When the art center at Høvikodden was to be built, she was involved in every detail.

Henie Onstad Art Center opened on August 23, 1968. Sonja Henie died of leukemia on October 12, the year after the inauguration, at the age of 57.

Bronze Age cairns

The sea was important for all traffic and contact with the outside world at this time. By boat they could travel far and with heavy, valuable cargo. What characterizes the Bronze Age is the new metal bronze. Bronze replaces to a large extent tools made of stone, which characterize the period before, namely the Stone Age. Bronze is an alloy of tin and copper. We have no known tin or copper mines from Norway from this period. It shows that there were extensive trade links with countries such as England and Spain where they had copper and tin mines, but also from other places in Europe.

In the Bronze Age, burial customs also changed. People were now mainly buried in stone piles, but also in earthen mounds. Most often, the dead person was burned and placed in a small stone coffin which was covered by a mound of stone or earth. A few times the dead person brings a bronze object with them. In Hvitsten, a bronze dagger has been found in one of the burial mounds. It is quite unique in its kind and testifies that an important person has been buried there. There is a lot of work involved in creating the burial piles, so it is possible that several people were buried in the same grave at a later time, so-called secondary graves.

Many of the burial mounds were considerably larger and more visible than today. People have picked stones from the piles to use for bonfires and other things, which has meant that several of the burial piles have become smaller and messed up. Bronze Age burial mounds have previously been important monuments in the landscape and still are. They have been here for thousands of years and we want to preserve them for future generations as well.

All burial mounds are protected and it is not legal to take or move stones from these.

The Bronze Age in Norway lasted from 1700-500 BC.

Maud and Amundsens polar history

The story of the polarship Maud

101 years after Maud's launch in Vollen, the polar ship sailed home on the Jensen fleet (named after the boatbuilder from Vollen) into the Oslofjord in 2018, after a long journey from Cambridge Bay in Canada. Maud was salvaged, financed and organized by Tandberg Eiendom in Asker, and a Maud House is now being planned at Tofte in Asker.

The Maud expedition under the direction of Roald Amundsen from 1918 to 1925 was a scientific research expedition with the goal of reaching the North Pole by freezing itself in the ice and drifting northward. Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was the scientific director during the expedition and, together with the crew, carried out groundbreaking scientific collection work that became widely known around the world.

The dream of reaching the North Pole was not fulfilled and therefore this expedition largely ended in the shadow of Amundsen's previous achievements, the Northwest Passage and the South Pole in 1911.

The Maud expedition, which lasted 7 years, was a long journey in time and scope and finally this story will be collected and Maud will become a main attraction in a future Maudheim Tofte.

Maudheim

Maudheim will be ideally located for future visitors to southern Asker, along the coastal path that continues into the magnificent nature reserve along the fjord towards Østnestangen.

Maudheim can already be visited today and the harbor area has become a popular place to spend the days with a good view of the sea and good opportunities for recreation. Here Maud lies waiting for her house and there is also a small plane from 1920 identical to the one they had on board and made the first flights from the polar ice.

This area was previously the landing port for timber for Hurum Fabriker, which produced cellulose until 2008. There are a few elements in the harbor that testify to this time, which will also become part of the future story in Maudheim Tofte.

Amundsen – the first man to reach the South Pole

Roald Amundsen secretly planned the South Pole expedition after he heard that Robert Peary had reached the Pole Point. He had been allowed to borrow the ship "Fram" from Fridtjof Nansen and was afraid he would take the ship back if he told about the change in plans. The members of the expedition became the first in history to reach the South Pole point on December 4, 1911, five weeks before the expedition of Robert F. Scott made it there on his second attempt.

From Vollen to the North Pole

The polar ship Maud was built at Christian Jensen's ship wharf in Vollen. The client was Roald Amundsen who planned an expedition to the Arctic, where the goal was to do research in these areas and hopefully reach the North Pole. In June 7, 1917, Maud was completed and was launched where the Oslo Fjord Museum is located today. In  the summer of 1918, "Maud" finally sails from Oslo towards the northeast passage. Attempts were made to drift across the Arctic Ocean without success, and other attempts were made to reach the North Pole by plane. The boat remained behind, and after 80 years on the seabed in the northwest passage, the ship was transported home to Vollen in August 2018.
The scientific results from the expedition are still relevant, but Roald Amundsen encountered several obstacles and the ship never reached the North Pole. Amundsen went bankrupt in 1925 and Maud was sold at forced auction. She eventually sank in Cambridge Bay, Canada, where she lay on the ocean floor for 80 years. Maud is in storage in Sagene Båthavn on Tofte pending a permanent «Maud house».

The Oslofjord Museum

At the Oslofjord Museum, you can see an impressive collection of old wooden boats, learn about life in the sea and the history associated with leasure boats on the Oslo Fjord. The children find it fun to make an boat driven by elastics that can be tested in the pool.

Access to Vollen can be done by scheduled ferry or bus. The trip to Maud in Tofte is best made by car. Great day trip to combine with visits to local beaches, restaurants and coastal galleries.

Thank you to MiA/Oslofjordmuseet and Jan Wangaard for text and photos.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Eidsvoll 1814 – Norwegian Center for Constitution

Welcome to Eidsvoll 1814 – the cradle of Norwegian democracy

As the place where the Norwegian Constitution was drawn up and signed in 1814, Eidsvollsbygningen (Eidsvoll Manor House) is one of Norway’s most important national symbols.

Today, the museum encompasses the house itself, along with ancillary buildings and surrounding park, the Democracy Centre Wergeland’s House, ticket sales and souvenir shop, the museum shop, Kafé Standpunkt with al fresco seating, and outdoor exhibitions.

As the place where the Norwegian Constitution was drawn up and signed in 1814, Eidsvollsbygningen is one of Norway’s most important national symbols. The Constituent Assembly was made up of 112 delegates, who gathered here from 10 April to 20 May 1814. The Assembly declared Norway an independent nation, after more than 400 years of union with Denmark, gave the country a constitution and elected a king. The Constitution is dated 17 May 1814, which is celebrated as Norway’s national day.

In 1814 Eidsvoll Manor House was a private home belonging to the owner of Eidsvoll Ironworks. It is a beautiful example of neoclassical architecture, whose design draws inspiration from the ideals of antiquity, and it is unparalleled in Norway. Eidsvoll Manor House’s architectural qualities are obvious both inside and out.

Guided tours in english every opening day at 12:30

 Check opening hours and guided tours here

Wergelands Hus – Our visitors centre contains the exhibit “Citizens in a Living democracy”, emphasizing past and present stories of people committed to a cause, as well as other smaller changing exhibits inside and outside the house.  The centre is located only 50 m from the main building with nice outdoor surroundings.

Kafé Standpunkt  – is a modern coffeehouse inspired by the coffeehouse traditions that were established in Europe during the 17thcentury. In Madame Juels coffeehouse in Copenhagen the early thoughts of Norwegian independence were born, leading on to the events in 1814. Our coffeehouse offers tasty pastries, lunch and coffee in a modern interior which includes a small bookshop.

The coffeehouse is located in our visitors centre with a nice view to Eidsvollsbygningen as well as the river Andelva. Seats app 60 pax in side and 25 pax outside. 

Museums shop- Roomers say it’s one of the most pretty museum shops in Norway, with a charming athmosphere and helpful staff.  Planning the shop we wanted to bring the experience from the main building into the shop and its interiors as well as range of products.  No trolls here..

Public Tranportation

From Oslo central station there is a train to Eidsvoll Verk every half hour, and the trip takes approx. 30 minutes. From here it is a great walk of about 20 minutes if you feel like walking – if not, you can take the corresponding bus that is included in the bus ticket directly to Eidsvoll 1814.

Welcome!

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

The historic Eidsvoll – Eidsvoll Verk and Eidsvoll 1814

Stallgården at Eidsvoll Verk, together with sledges, horse-drawn carriages and other transport equipment, there is a jewel of a car – namely Chamberlain Haaken Larpent Mathiesen's Napier T28 1906 – model.

This car is probably the second that came to Eidsvoll well over 100 years ago (1909). Neither people nor animals were used to cars back then, and it was therefore announced in the local newspapers when the car was going to hit the roads. The car has four cylinders and 16.9 horsepower and appears as new.

Henrik Wergeland statue

Many people probably know the statue of the statue of Henrik Wergeland in front of the Eidsvoll building. The statue was unveiled by King Olav on 13 June 1962, and the monument was created by sculptor Ottar Espeland. In front of Henrik we see the sculpture "Wergelandsbriller" made by multi-artist Ola Skjenneberg. It was created in connection with the exhibition "Vandring til Undring" in Stallgården at Eidsvoll Verk in 2009.

The sculpture remained in Stallgården until 2015, but was then moved to the square directly in front of the statue of Henrik Wergeland.

The clock tower in Bønsdalen

The tower on an old factory building in Bønsdalen. There has been industry in Bønsdalen since the early 1870s when the first wood sanding plant was built here. The factory in Bønsdalen was run as a wood processing business right up until the mid-1960s. In 1965, the paper mill was closed, while the cellulose factory was run by Follum Fabrikker until it was also closed in 1976.

Idyll by Andelva at Eidsvoll Verk

In the vernacular, this place is called "Odden på Eidsvoll Verk". On the site there is a 22 July boat which was unveiled in August 2012. The background for this beautiful area stems from an idea that operations technician Tore Innstøy and Terje Kjeldsrud at Eidsvoll 1814 got in 2011. They asked landowner Mathiesen Eidsvold Værk to make something out of the area since the site was very hilly

Råholt "by night"

Råholt is located along Trondheimsvegen/old E6 between Dal and Eidsvoll Verk. Over the past 20 years, Råholt has grown to become the largest settlement in Eidsvoll municipality. Eidsvoll Verk railway station, which is located on the Gardermobanen, is one of the most important factors that attract people moving to Råholt. It is only 17 km to Jessheim and 60 km to Oslo.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo