Bindal Museum and the old croft at Vassås

Bindal Museum at Terråk documents local forestry, boatbuilding and other wood-working traditions. It contrasts past and present practices. The museum also includes Bindal Bygdetun, an open-air museum at an authentic old croft at Vassås, 2.5 km north of Terråk.

A fine example of local boatbuilding traditions is bindalsfæringen, a four-oared wooden boat often outfitted with a square sail. You can also see other traditional boats of the Nordland region. There is also a small collection of Sámi objects that yield insights into the livelihoods and culture of these indigenous people of the Arctic.

A natural history theme that gets some well-deserved attention is the boreal rainforests. When we hear the word “rainforest” most of us immediately think of the tropics, but the fact is there are also rainforests along Norway’s humid and rainy coast. The flora in these areas includes species of lichen that are endangered.

The museum shop offers a large selection of books on various historical topics, mostly on Helgeland and the rest of Northern Norway.

Bindal Bygdetun – an open-air museum
One of the main houses at the rural museum is named after Hilda Busch, who last ran the farm until she died in 1981. Hilda was unmarried, had no children, and for most of her life managed to run the farm without electricity or running water. After Hilda died, her heirs decided to donate the farm to Bindal Municipality, complete with all furnishings and objects, under the condition that they establish an open-air museum here. Today the museum is managed under the auspices of Helgeland Museum.

At Vassås there is also a cultural heritage trail. The buildings are open part of the summer and on request. For groups, the museum would be happy to put together a special programme with lectures on assorted topics.

Bindal Bygdetun is situated at Gangstøveien 80 in Terråk (postal code 7980).

Read more about Helgeland at www.visithelgeland.com