Vegårshei Village Museum
The Vegårtun Village Museum in Vegårshei shows an interesting collection of objects from the old days.
Between Vegårshei and Risør, along national road 416, lies Vegårshei Bygdetun idyllically situated about 800 meters from the road. Vegårshei Bygdetun is now a local museum that was turned into a foundation in 1984 after being privately owned by Julius Grasåsen (1897-1986), the founder of the museum.
Julius Grasåsen was born and raised in Grasåsen, located right next to the rural museum, and he showed an early interest in local history. He was a farmer and smallholder and collected almost everything. What others saw as junk, he saw great value in. His motivation and great passion for collecting was to preserve a time that was disappearing. He wanted to show future generations how people once lived, what their homes were like, and what occupied them.
At Vegårshei Bygdetun today, you can see this large collection spread across several buildings. Here you will find, for example, a horse mill and horse equipment, a cobbler's workshop, a timber workshop, and an exhibition on railways and forestry.
A schoolhouse and a crofter's cottage tell their own stories. However, the first building Julius erected at the museum was an old commoner's cottage from 1840, which had stood by Vegårshei church. It was completed and re-erected in 1982.
Julius Grasåsen wanted the rural museum to be a living museum, something the board of the museum strives to fulfill. Throughout the season, there is a lot of activity on the grounds, including visits from kindergartens and school classes. We encourage others to follow our calendar on our website to see what is happening.
As mentioned, we receive many visits from kindergartens and school classes every year, and we recommend that all interested parties book early. We also gladly welcome groups from clubs and associations for guided tours, by appointment.
We are a summer-open museum and are open on Wednesdays in July from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
We also have activity Sundays from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
June 30, 2024 - Market Day
July 7, 2024 - Seamen's Stories
July 14, 2024 - Church Law and Country Law
July 21, 2024 - Baking Day
July 28, 2024 - Horse Day
August 4, 2024 - Forestry Day
August 11, 2024 - Veteran Vehicles
Source: Risør Turistinformasjon
Vegårshei Village Museum