Kvaløyvågen Gård
About 10,000 years ago, the first people came to this area. The «Rock carvings on Skavberget» are well-known, among other things. The people came along the coast and often settled on the outermost headlands, islets and islands. This is to be as close to the fishing grounds as possible. In the 6th century, a scattered settlement began to grow in Troms. Remains of old barns and churches (believed to be from the 12th – 13th century) have been found on the islands off Kvaløya. From the 16th – 17th century, there were many places on the outer side of Kvaløya that were being populated. When the censuses took place in the 17th century, the size of the various farms could be seen more precisely.
Kvaløyvågen Gård is slowly being recreated back to its origins, but with some modern facilities for 2023. The house is renovated with respect for the retro style and historic use. Kvaløyvågen is a peaceful place, where you can experience the silence and the darkness, enjoy the local food and a real fishing village. Perhaps you will run into Arvid, a former seal-hunter. Elias is also a young local, he can provide boat rental if you want to see the archipelago or just go fishing, perhaps catch your own supper. The area is well known for both halibut and cod. Inge, the farmer, can provide locally grown vegetables and meat from his sheep farm. If you like skiing, you can walk directly from the house. Randonee / skinning is very popular in the area and both «Vågsfjellet» and «Nordtind» is within walking distance. In the summertime, this mountains is also very nice for hiking. This is the perfect spot to watch the sunset.
Our next project is to renovate the fish shed, build a new drying rack for fish and roe, build a sauna and a new dock.
The eternite board
After the Second World War, when large parts of northern Norway were burned down, Eternit cement boards were used as building material during the reconstruction of the country. They provided weatherproof, modern and affordable building material. In recent years, eternit has been frowned upon, as both toxic, harmful to health and ugly. In our opinion, the eternit houses tell an important story about building traditions during the post-war era. The eternit houses have a «Spartan» appearance and are often build with an architecturally strange placements of both windows and doors. Despite their different appearance, strange colours, weather-beaten surfaces, and corrugated metal roofs, they did provide incredibly resilient and durable homes. They are weather tight, the wind gets little hold of them , there is little or no maintenance needed and the corrugated roof makes the snow fall off quickly. We believe that this choice of building material play an important role in our history and how it fits in with nature.
A weathered eternit house, in basic colours, on a weather-beaten headland, surrounded by withered tall yellow grass, is just beautiful. You see the warm light in the windows, and food being prepared in the kitchen, welcoming the safe return of the cold fisherman.
Fish flakes
Drying racks have been placed along the Norwegian coast on weather-exposed headlands and islets for millennia. The fish flakes provide a memory bank of the importance of the sea for this country. In the winter months, the «skrei» (Cod) returns to the Norwegian coast. It is caught, hung and dried. Dried fish follow ancient trade routes out into the world. Norwegian cities and coastal communities are built on this trade. The sea has given us the resources on which this nation and the welfare state are built, and which future generations will reap from. The drying racks are a sustainable technology and structure that has made it possible to dry fish, carry out trade, build boats, build communities and bring economy to the coast and the seascape. Solid, strong logs with room for the fish to hang and provide the sufficient space and airflow needed to dry the fish. A steep, slender, upright building structures that reflect arctic flexibility.
Where are we located
- A 1 hour 40 minuts flight from Oslo Airport
- A 30-minute drive from Tromsø airport by car.
- You can also arrive by helicopter and seaplane.
Tromsø has a lot of both domestic and international flights.
