Kategori: Historical monument

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.

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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!

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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.

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The historic Eidsvoll – Sundgata 6

 We do not know the exact year when this house was built, but it is assumed to be around 1850, and it is one of the oldest houses in Sundet.

It was at this time, around the time the railway came to Eidsvoll, that Sundet began to be built up. Dokkengården, the house behind Sundgata 6, had then been the only house here at Sundtoppen for several decades. The first owner is believed to have been David Olsen Vilberg. In 1843 he became the owner of Sundgården, which includes a larger area around Sundtoppen.

A little back in time, the house was referred to as Vilberggård. Later, the house went by the name Larsengården for a long time. That is because in 1913 the house was registered as Ludvig O. Larsen, and from 1951 his son Tormod Larsen was the owner. He owned until 1984. The house is timber-framed, and it is assumed that there was an external stairwell on the north side which was later built in. Where there is now an extension to the house, there used to be a separate small house. The basement and first floor, as well as the small house and later extension, have always been used for food of various kinds. The upper floors have been used for housing. The facade has changed slightly, the most visible being fewer windows than originally. 

The historic Eidsvoll – Vormavegen 4 Meierigården

This house is called Meierigården because there was a dairy here for a long time.

The dairy business started after a founding meeting on 12 August 1897, and the formal formation of Eidsvold Andelsmeieri on 14 December of the same year.

Then the construction of the dairy was also approved. Two years later, on 11 January 1899, the building was finished, and it was inspected and test driven. The dairy operation started. In the early years, the house did not look like it does now.

 

Sarbuvollen

To make one ton of salt, you needed 33 tons (cubic meters) of seawater and as much as 21 tons of wood. The wood often came from the farmers' own forest. The income was used to pay taxes and duties related to the farm activities.

Here at Sarbuvollen, one of the few places where black salt was boiled was boiled, the salt at that time was often gray and coarse. Sarbuvollen got its name from the smallholding Sarbuvollen under Nordre Høvik. The origin of the name comes from salt boiling, Salt-bu-volden.

Sarbuvollen was bought by Bærum municipality in 1901 to build boat berths and public baths. The latter had two descent pits for women and men, respectively. The entrance fee cost 5 øre. Sarbuvollen Sjøbad was closed down in the 1930s, when Torvøya took over as the major bathing offer and bathers were rowed over to the island from Strand, until regular ferry traffic took over until 1962 when a new runway was to be built at Fornebu.

At Sarbuvollen there was also a holiday resort for nuns.

Source: Asker og Bærum historielag og Lokalhistoriewiki

Løkenes Farm

Løkenes Gård is one of the oldest settlements in Asker, and in the Middle Ages the name was Laukanes, which means 'the headland where onions grow'. A Stone Age settlement and four burial mounds have been registered at Løkenes. The farm had a lime kiln, the remains of which are well preserved. In 1751, 50 tons of lime were exported from the kiln.

Queen Maud and Crown Prince Olav were keen users of the tennis court at Konglungen in the early 20th century as friends of the Rustad family, and the farm was one of the first to start self-picking strawberries.

The entire peninsula from Vettre to the bridge to Konglungen is called Løkenes, but the place is often referred to as Konglungen.

Bærum Town Hall (Bærum Rådhus)

The first stage of construction of the town hall was built in 1927 with the east wing and the bell tower, and in the period 1958–62 the wings facing the sea and the Sandvik river were built around the courtyard, which has a municipal council hall, chairman's hall, wedding room and banquet hall.  It was a challenge for the architects of the time to create functional symbolic buildings with a modern Norwegian expression, and Poulsson drew inspiration on a trip to northern Italy.

The town hall is built of whitewashed brick with ornaments in finely hewn stone and wrought iron. The ornamentation has its models in medieval Gothic, has bell towers in neo-Gothic style. The carillon in the City Hall was built in 1974 and consists of 25 bells. The theme song is written by the composer Geirr Tveit and is played every hour.

Outside the town hall are the fountain The Elements (1959-64) and the equestrian statue Friheten (1949-53), both by Arnold Haukeland.

Architect Magnus Poulsson (1881-1958)

Magnus Poulsson is considered one of the country's most prominent architects in the first half of the 1900s. Several major assignments such as Oslo City Hall were carried out together with his friend Arnstein Arneberg. His work ranges from simple workers' homes and grand villas to commercial buildings and churches. At Lysaker and Fornebu you will find several of Poulsson's villas as well as Oksenøen Bruk.

Source: Bærum Municipality

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