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Scandic Hotels – in all major cities from north to south
Nordic Choice Hotels – a different hotel company
Thon Hotels – with fantastic breakfast
Hostelling International – the door to Norway
Radisson Blu Hotels – discover your favourite destinations
Widerøe – the largest regional airline in Scandinavia
AutoEurope – always a smooth car rental experience
Vy express – travel with bus throughout Norway
DFDS – Europe’s leading ferry operator 2012-2020
Rent-A-Wreck – the smart car rental alternative
Arctic Campers – Norway’s camper van rental
NOR-WAY Bussekspress – travel green with express busses
Vy – it should be easy to travel green
Hurtigruten – "The World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage"
Authentic Scandinavia – exciting Norway tours
Up Norway – tailored journeys
Norrøna Hvitserk – expeditions and adventure holidays
Fjord Tours – experience Norway in a nutshell® with one ticket
50 Degrees North – unforgettable tailor-made and small group tours to Norway
Discover Norway – skiing, biking and hiking tours in Norway
Norwegian Holidays – low-price package holidays with Norwegian. Flight, hotel and rental car
Secret Atlas – Svalbard and Northern Norway. Small Ship with 12 guests.
DanCenter – your specialist in holiday homes in Norway
Norgesbooking – book your perfect cabin stay in Norway
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The barns have been landmarks in the cultural landscape of Norway for centuries. Some beautiful and magnificent, others marked by the ravages of time and standing like monuments of the past.
Text: Petter Løken
You might have seen it before, the barn built by farmer Lars Petter Olsen Valldal in Valldal valley in Fjord Norway in 1885. More than three million people have seen the picture of the barn with its distinct circular barn bridge on the online image sharing community Imgur. The photo was taken by the award-winning photographer Oddleiv Apneseth.
Legend has it that the farmer spent seven years constructing the special barn bridge after the outbuilding itself was finished.
But this famous barn is not alone. Far from it.
The barns have been landmarks in the cultural landscape of Norway for centuries, but their days might be numbered.
“While there are still hundreds of thousands of them, many are sure to disappear”, says Eva Røyrane, author of the book The Barns of Norway.
Together with photographer Apneseth, she spent two summers travelling all over Norway to collect stories and take pictures of more than a thousand Norwegian barns. And even if the barns come in different shapes and sizes, they have one thing in common:
“They are mostly painted red – because that was the cheapest colour”, states Røyrane.
Eva Røyrane, author of the book The Barns of Norway.
“It’s the large building that would contain the farm animals, food for the livestock, farm equipment and also act as storage for grain”, Røyrane says.
Until 1850, the Norwegian farms normally consisted of several smaller buildings, but in modern agriculture that was no longer practical.
“The barn brought the farmer into the monetary society and played a big role in farming during the barn’s heyday between 1850 and 1950”, she says.
The even older farmsteads, by the way, are still standing in places across Norway, as well as in open-air museums.
Thanks to its rich, fertile farmlands, Trøndelag is an important breadbasket for Norway. That fact is reflected in all the great barns in the area. Their farm buildings had to accommodate a large herd of cattle, as well as hay and grain.
“The houses on a typical big farm in Trønderlag forms a square, framing the yard”, the author says.
Even if the barns are normally painted red, you sometimes find one in yellow or white. Then you can be fairly sure that a prosperous farmer used to live there. Furthermore, the Trøndelag barns are often built at an angle and with a gateway that you drive through to get into the yard.
“They are mostly painted red – because that was the cheapest colour.”
Barns can also have fun local characteristics. In Stadsbygd at Fosen, for instance, you find barns with doors painted in a more expensive blue colour.
“It can be explained by the fact that the farmers here also made money from cod fishing in Lofoten in Northern Norway. We call it a local barn dialect”, Røyrane says.
The barn bridges give access to the second floor. These also differ from district to district. Some have roofs, whilst the big farms in Trøndelag have stone bridges with no superstructure.
According to Røyrane, the barns have constantly had to adapt to new uses. As in other countries, farming in Norway has been through a great technological development, like the invention of the tractor and the silo.
Many of the Norwegian barns are still in use, but after 1950 an increasing number of farms have constructed buildings specialised for a new era in agriculture instead. For example by building houses exclusively for sheep husbandry.
Today’s farmers often have their animals in new farm buildings, and sometimes also in large, specialised barns that they share with their neighbours.
“Nowadays, the typical Norwegian barn is mostly unused. The owner isn’t practising farming anymore, and he or she just lives on the farm”, says Røyrane.
A lot of the barns just function as storage rooms, but since it’s such a great expense to maintain these signature buildings, many choose to tear them down.
Ullernlåven, Ullern gård
Sør Odal, Hedmark
The biggest second-hand store barn in Norway. Contains a cafe.
Buggegården Horten, Vestfold
Activity farm with animals, tractors, and family shows.
Lindheim fruktgård
Gvarv, Telemark
Brewery and bar. Store offering fresh fruits.
Veikåker gård
Krødsherad, Buskerud
General store, museum and animals.
Nordre Ekre gård
Heidal, Oppland
Farm hotel and restaurant.
Framgarden
Valldal, Møre og Romsdal
Museum and a special barn bridge made in stone.
Berg gård
Inderøy, Nord Trøndelag
Activity farm with animals, production premises for local food, general store and restaurant.
Kortmanns lysfabrikk
Vuddudalen, Sør Trøndelag
Candle factory outlet, museum and cafe.
Guddalstunet
Rosendal, Hordaland
Gallery, cafe and accommodation.
Holmenes gård
Kåfjord, Troms
Rural museum. Coast sami farm with turf huts and hay barn.
Travelling around the Norwegian countryside you most likely will experience that many barns have been adapted for new purposes.
“We found barns used as second-hand stores, party venues, production premises for local food, music studios, fitness centres, and dormitories”, Røyrane says.
The barn at the monastery on Tautra island just outside Frosta Trønderlag is dated as far back as the 1700s. It is now used as a cafe.
“Today, many consider the barn as a resource that can be used for activities that bring a new income to the farm”, the author says.
Ullernlåven, Ullern gård
Sør Odal, Hedmark
The biggest second-hand store barn in Norway. Contains a cafe.
Buggegården Horten, Vestfold
Activity farm with animals, tractors, and family shows.
Lindheim fruktgård
Gvarv, Telemark
Brewery and bar. Store offering fresh fruits.
Veikåker gård
Krødsherad, Buskerud
General store, museum and animals.
Nordre Ekre gård
Heidal, Oppland
Farm hotel and restaurant.
Framgarden
Valldal, Møre og Romsdal
Museum and a special barn bridge made in stone.
Berg gård
Inderøy, Nord Trøndelag
Activity farm with animals, production premises for local food, general store and restaurant.
Kortmanns lysfabrikk
Vuddudalen, Sør Trøndelag
Candle factory outlet, museum and cafe.
Guddalstunet
Rosendal, Hordaland
Gallery, cafe and accommodation.
Holmenes gård
Kåfjord, Troms
Rural museum. Coast sami farm with turf huts and hay barn.
Oslo is rapidly growing into a modern, international metropolis. In the countryside, prestigious projects seem to grow out of nature itself.
There has never been a more exciting time for Norwegian architecture! Bold designs and urban developments are popping up all over the country, and many of the projects reflect the powerful, often brutal contrasts in nature.
Where magnificent architecture meets the fjord landscape – Ålesund has wild Viking ancestry, an abundance of succulent seafood and jaw-dropping vistas.
Progressive architecture has put Varanger on the map as one of the Arctic’s premier birdwatching destinations.
Gone are traditional features like log walls and tiny windows. It is increasingly common to encounter mountain lodges and cabins that have new and exciting designs.
Norway’s 17 national fortresses are cultural arenas that get visited by millions of people each year. Akershus Fortress in Oslo and Oscarsborg Fortress in Drøbak are amongst the most popular ones.
In Norway, climbing mountains feels like the most natural thing to do – so why should this not also apply to buildings?
Spend a week exploring some of the highlights of Norwegian architecture, from a wooden church that dates back to the 12th century to the latest high-tech hotel which blends in with nature.
Elaborately carved wooden churches were once present in many parts of northwest Europe. Today, they are almost exclusively found in Norway.
From award-winning museums and architectural masterpieces to renowned food, film and music festivals. Norway is more than just stunning nature!
Whether you’re into fine art, contemporary works, historical artefacts, or just want to see Edvard Munch’s Scream, this is your guide to some of the best museums in Norway.
Norwegian settlements seem specially designed for farm holidays, as the farms are often extremely idyllic, and also offer plenty of nature-based activities in the immediate vicinity.
Norway’s 17 national fortresses are cultural arenas that get visited by millions of people each year. Akershus Fortress in Oslo and Oscarsborg Fortress in Drøbak are amongst the most popular ones.
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