Kategori: Other attractions

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.

Grini Museum

In Grini prison there were prisoners from all over the country, and almost all professions and classes of the population were represented. At first everyone was in the prison building, but it soon became overcrowded and a "barracks city" was built. Today the Grini Museum is located in one of these barracks.

On Thursdays, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, you can experience Grini prison through VR. The VR experience lasts about 15 minutes and is included in the ticket price.

On Sundays, there is an introduction to the history of Grini prison at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. The lecture lasts about 20 minutes and is included in the ticket price.

We also offer private tours, lectures, performances and VR experiences for smaller and larger groups outside the museum's regular opening hours. This can be booked by sending us an email at grinimuseet@mia.no. Read more about our tours: https://mia.no/grinimuseet/gruppetilbud

The museum does not have a café, but sells coffee, tea, mineral water and muffins/lefser that can be enjoyed in the outdoor area.

In our small museum shop it is possible to buy books about Grini prison camp and World War II as well as postcards and some other products.

Throughout the year there are concerts, theatre performances, lectures and talks at the museum. Follow our website to see what's happening: https://mia.no/grinimuseet/kalender

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Timber experiences

The great importance of the area for migratory birds is the background for Ramsar status, which was granted in 1985. Nordre Øyeren is an eldorado for nature experiences and contains a great diversity of species. The island has 25 fish species and is the lake in the country that has the most. The area is rich in aquatic botany, amphibian species and insects. Several mammals live on the islands.

In addition, the area contains an exciting history of one of Norway's first key industries; timber floating and lumber industry. Timber was the most important export item for Norway from the second half of the 16th century and up to the 20th century. The oil of the time – timber – has played a crucial role in growth and development, both for the areas around Nordre Øyeren and for our country. Cities in Europe are built on timber that was cut on the many saws in Lower Romerike. Glomma was the country's most important flotation watercourse after 1860 and Bingen and Fetsund booms testify to this time of greatness. The authentic timber floating plant at Fetsund Lenser is unique, also in a global context. The huge stone vessels on Bingen Lenser can only be found here. Along the "Timber Route" you can get to know the exciting history of timber, floating and sawmilling and take deep dives into the cultural monuments that still exist. At Sagelva on Strømmen you can visit the upswing and mill in Mølleparken, in Lillestrøm coffee and waffles are served in the old workers' home Lurkahuset on the banks of Nitelva, at Rælingen bygdetun the story of sawmills and small industry is told, in Gansvika a visit to Gansbruket museum can be combined with a restaurant visits at Gansvika restaurant and inn and at Sørumsand you can travel back in time with the museum railway Urskog-Hølandsbanen Tertitten.

The road between the cultural monuments is short and you can use a bicycle, train or boat. The natural values ​​can be experienced on foot from land, in a kayak on your own or from the tourist boat MS Øyeren. At Besøkssenter wetland Nordre Øyeren you can learn more.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

Bronze Age cairns

A dolmen is a Danish term for a megalith or large stone tomb from the Neolithic Age. A dolmen consists of a burial chamber, surrounded by a series of large curb stones as we see in the pictures. In Norway, megalithic tombs are very rare and they are a sign that this may be one of the first settlements in Norway. Here, two similar dolmens have been found quite close to each other that have been dated back to 3630-3350 BC. Amber beads have been found, which indicates that they either came from – or interacted with other societies on the continent. The dolmen is located close to the red barn, entrance by the sign.

Hear more about the findings and life in the Stone Age in the video.

The burial mounds. Up on the hill a little further towards Drammen there are several burial mounds from the Bronze Age. In the Early Bronze Age, the deceased was placed in the coffin fully dressed and with various objects. The men often brought bronze swords, axes, daggers, knives and jewelry pins. The women brought knives and daggers, as well as jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets and belt buckles. The location of the cairns may indicate that it was important for people in the Bronze Age both that the cairns could be seen from the sea and that the sea could be seen from the cairns.

All burial cairns are protected and it is not legal to remove or move stones from them.

Magnor Glassverk

We are continuously working to create new designs and products. 

Together with some of the most skilled and exciting designers and craftsmen in Norway today, we create magic!

More information see www.magnor.no

Member of Visit Greater Oslo 

Hvalstrand bad

Public swimming in the fjord was only for men. Swimsuits were unknown garments and men and women could not swim in the same place. The first public baths for women were built in the 1840s. At the end of the 19th century, it was discovered that light and sun had a positive effect and young women in particular began to sunbathe. It became more accepted to show off their bodies and from the 20th century, many baths were built around the Oslofjord.

During the interwar period, bathing life as we know it today gained momentum: – Sea bathing as "free bathing", i.e. where both sexes bathed together, gained momentum in the 1930s.

Hvalstrand bad was established on June 7, 1934 on a property separated from the Hval farm. The farm's owner, Wilhelm Roede, and shipowner Rudolf Olsen joined forces to establish a modern bathing facility with a diving tower, a slide, and an elegant restaurant.

Hvalstrand bad and Ingierstrand bad were the two most important, publicly accessible baths on either side of the Oslofjord from the interwar period and in the first decades of the postwar period. A steamboat was set up from the center of Oslo that ran shuttle services throughout the summer season.

Existing public baths were mostly used by wealthy people, who took a bath for the sake of cleanliness and health, while ordinary people bathed in the open air. This was a time when recreation and sports were seen as something that gave meaning to life, and Oslo's inhabitants wanted to get out of the city and into beautiful nature in search of "the good leisure life" as a result of most people starting to have more free time.

Eventually, the place became unprofitable, was bought by Asker Municipality and stood in disrepair until it was protected and restored in 1997. Now Hvalstrand Bad is operated as a restaurant during the summer months.

Løkenes Farm

The sailing ships came with ballast, often in the form of round flint tubers, and had to get rid of this before unloading. The seabed and the beach below Bryggebakken are covered with such ballast stone.

 

It was hard work where the workers cut blocks of ice with special saws. Each block weighed around 160 kilograms. The ice blocks then had to be lifted into a chute of wood, and were sent down to the harbour. In the early years, the ice was shipped out in the winter without intermediate storage, but the demand was greatest in the summer and the ice began to be stored in ice houses and later in large open ice bins/ice stacks. We can see the rest of the foundation of such an ice bin here. This was a large pile of almost 2000 m2 that could hold 14-17,000 tons of ice and the ice stack went all the way up to today's main road. It was a makeshift construction that would store the ice from winter to summer, and the walls could be 4-8 meters high and were held in place with external logs to prevent the ice from falling out.

 

A chute had been made and a pier had been made into the bay so that the ice could be loaded onto a waiting ship. Sawdust was often used between the blocks to ensure that they did not melt during the long transport.

 

Ice exports contributed to prosperity for the farmers who owned ponds and ponds and sailboat owners along the coast. It was associated with great risk. Several ships were wrecked on the voyage as the ice could melt along the way and the weight could shift to the side and overturn the ship.

Holmsbu town history

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.