Scan Magazine, Issue 98, March 2017

Page 66

Scan Magazine  |  Special Theme  |  Our Top Norwegian Museums

The museum and multi-purpose cultural centre Norveg, designed by Icelandic architect Gudmundur Jonsson, houses a captivating archeological and historical exhibition, a resource centre for coastal culture and business, a restaurant specialising in locally sourced food and traditional cakes, and a store. Photo: Kystmuseet i Nord-Trøndelag

Marvel at the mighty sea At the Coastal Museum in Nord-Trøndelag, located in the Norwegian port village of Rørvik, you can experience 10,000 years of maritime history inside the architecturally stunning cultural centre Norveg. After learning about life on Norway’s harsh but plentiful coast, you can head out to sea to visit the protected, island-based fishing village of Sør-Gjæslingan, where serenity awaits and the unique atmosphere has outlived the fishermen. By Eirik Elvevold

Every winter, around this time of year, millions of Atlantic cod make their way to the Norwegian coast to spawn. At Sør-Gjæslingan, an island group outside Rørvik in the municipality of Vikna in Nord-Trøndelag county, the fish once gave birth to a bustling fishing village spread across 30 small islands. “We can trace the activity at Sør-Gjæslingan as far back as to the sixth century. At its peak, it was the most important Norwegian fishing village south of Lofoten, with up to 5,000 people participating in the seasonal fishing. The small society had almost 100 fisherman’s cabins, or ‘rorbuer’ as we call them in Norwegian, and their own telegraph, shops and bakery. The place was also brimming with mer66  |  Issue 98  |  March 2017

chant ships, travellers and entertainers,” explains Charles Utvik, director at the Coastal Museum in Nord-Trøndelag. The former fishing village has been preserved ever since the 1980s, but it was not until 2010 that the Norwegian government officially protected the village as the first in Norway, including houses, cultural landscape and sea bed, and invested large sums in restoration. From May to September, visitors at the Costal Museum can travel by boat to Sør-Gjæslingan to spend their holiday in the restored fishermen’s cabins. “As soon as you arrive, something happens. Civilisation disappears and be-

comes insignificant,” says Utvik. “You step into another world that you’ll never forget, where a calm atmosphere and crystal clear water is like balm for the soul. The islands do have a local shop and a friendly host, and the cabins are more than comfortable enough, but you won’t be living in a five-star hotel. It’s not an artificial society, but one built up over centuries. It’s the real deal. All this makes Sør-Gjæslingan a well-suited place for reflecting on what’s important in life.”

Preserving the past while sailing into the future Back on the mainland, the sublime cultural centre Norveg, designed by Icelandic architect Gudmundur Jonsson to look like a ship in full sail, stands as a symbol of a proud past and present. The iconic 13-year-old museum houses a captivating archeological and historical exhibition, a resource centre for coastal culture and business, a restaurant specialising in locally sourced food and traditional cakes, and a shop.


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