Hjellum

The Hjellum gård or farm is first mentioned in the 1300's. It is believed the farm was deserted during the great Plague during the years of 1348-1350. In 1603 a man named Torstein was documented as the land user or farmer. In 1626 the farm was associated with a man named Johans, and in 1645 the names were Gender and Ole.

The farm can be directly traced back to the beginning of the 15th century, and historical documents include: Hjødlo, Hiallum and Jeldum as early as (1624).

It's believed the farm was purchased by a Simon Larsen who came from the mountain farm of Stigen or Stigen. Simon's daughter Sigred was married to a Sergent Gunder Anderson possibly in 1718. Sigred died in 1722 and Sergent Gunder Anderson took ownership of the farm from Simon Larsen in 1725.

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History

The farm can be directly traced back to the beginning of the 15th century, and historical documents include: Hjødlo, Hiallum and Jeldum as early as (1624).

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Aurland

The Hjellum gård is located in Aurland, Norway and ownership can be traced back to the beginning of the sixteen-hundreds.

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Bakka

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Berekvam

Berekvam is located between Flåm and Myrdal in the Flåm valley. The scenic Flåmsdalen, or Flåm valley, was used to transport materials for the Bergen (Oslo to Bergen) railway in 1898. In 1940 the Flåm Railway opened and this started the modern tourism industry in Aurland. Now folks from Oslo could see the beautiful inland fjords and fish for the renowned salmon without as much as switching trains. Berekvam is accessible and hosts a train stop (white horizontal line in photo is the train tracks). the farm itself in ancient but I do not believe there are any of the old structures. It appears that the farm is active and populated but I have no knowledge of the current owners.

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Dyrdal

The Dyrdal Farm is located on the west side of the Nærøy fjord which is a branch off of the Aurlandfjorden. Both Anders and Kari have roots that can be traced back to Dyrdal. They have common forefathers in the 7th and 8th generations. Dyrdal was a large farm and sort of a "center" in the Nærøy district according to the local history of Aurland.

Currently there are 10 people occupying the Dyrdal farm.

This is a translated quote from a historical document regarding Dyrdal:

...when the hunter settled and started farming, he enjoyed settling near his old hunting fields, and the farm that was established was a large farm or large community. Dyrdal was a big farm and quite a center in Nærøy...

Peder bottoldsen (1747 - 1828) and åse Olsdatter Dyrdal were Kari's great-great-great-grandparents. According to the census of 1801, Peder lived on Dyrdal. The census documents that he was a farmer, and also responsible for the mail. In addition, Peder was the owner of one of the Dyrdal farms, which then, Dyrdal consisted of two primary farms and six tenant farms. Peder married åse, who was from Dyrdal as well. She was fifteen years younger than Peder and by 1801, they had 5 children. They children's ages range between 2 and 18 years and their names are: Bottold, Ole, Peder, Giørj and Kari.

Their household also included two unmarried house keepers, and two pensioneers: Anders Olsen and Anna Johnsdatter. Anna was 61 years old and was on her second marriage with Anders who was 37 years old. In total, the household consisted of 11 people. The tenant families under the farm totaled 31 people which included a family which had 9 children with ages that ranged between one 1 and 14 years. In total the Dyrdal farm consisted of 103 people in 1801. Of that total, 35 were younger than 10 years and 9 were older than 60. Of the children, it is likely that only the ones from the wealthier families were able to be educated from the one person who was responsible for teaching.

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Horton

A farm as spectacular as Horton requires a large image to represent its scale and stature. The farm can be seen as a small speck on the top of the fjord wall on the right above. Amazingly, the gård Nedberg is even higher than Horton and located just out of the image to the right. The mountain gård Stigen or Stigen is located across the fjord and out of view of this image to the left. This image was taken from the gård Hjellum and the village of Undredal is directly below.

The mountain farms are amazing sights to behold. There are also amazing stories of inhabitants dropping rocks on the Germans who were attempting to visit their farm during the German occupation of World War II. Obviously the location of the farm so perched on the mountain side begs of questions of accessibility. Ladders and Pulley systems have been used to raise and lower people, animals and supplies to the remote locations.

I have often wondered why the Norwegians were so fond of North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota as a destination when the immigrated to America. I would think they would go directly where the sun shines brightly year round and the temperature is warm. When you see how difficult it was to farm these lands and the hardship to make a living, the relatively flat green lands of North Dakota would seem like a fantastic dream to an immigrant with an agrarian background. It is also easy to see why the Norwegians are so fond of their goat cheese or geit oust. A cow could never traverse the steep hillsides grazing for food.

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Melhus

Melhus is located in the Flåmsdalen along the Flåmsbana Railway. The best way to access gård Melhus is to take the Flåmsbana Train to the Bloomheller Station. From there it's a short walk.

There's not much to see at the gård Melhus so I've added a photo of the Kjosfossen waterfall. It's near Melhus and there's a rumor that the troll, Huldra can be seductively dancing there.

There is another Melhus in the valley above Undredal but there are no structures here. This was possibly an area where their livestock grazed but I am uncertain.

There are two cluster farms, one for each family. the Southern most farm, at some time, moved further South due to rockslides.

On August 8th, 1963 the owner of Melhus was killed while driving a handcar on the railroad tracks. I understand he was hit by a train. The farm was then abandoned in 1967.

From 1860 to 1903, 26 people were documented as immigrating to America from Melhus.

Anders Jonsen Hjellum was born here in 1870. His father, Jon Sjursen Kleivane Kolve Hjellum lived here before he purchased the Hjellum gård in 1873.

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Nærøyfjord

The Nærøyflord is a branch of the Aurlandfjord and consists of the small villages: Dyrdal, Styvi, Tufte, Bakka and the inhabitants in the Nærøydalen valley up to the regional border towards Voss. The church of this community is situated at Bakka. In the beginning Nærøy belong to Undredal community, and it was the tiny church in Undredal which served the whole area. In those days the transport was by rowing boats or sailboats and it was not easy to get to the church in Undredal in stormy winter weather. So in the 1830's the local people had a strong desire to have their own church. The church was officially inaugurate on 11th of May 1859. The date can be read on one of the chancel panels. The names of those who helped finance the building of the church can also be read there. The church has been drawn by the architect Grosch. Bakka church seats approx. 200 people. The altarpiece dates back from 1907 and was painted by Nils Bergslien. The theme is Jesus in Getsemane. The frame and woodwork was made by the craftsman Magnus Dagestad. The Norwegian Church is Lutheran evangelist. A minister living in the main community of Vangen serves all four churches in Aurland parish. There are about 10 church services per year in Bakka church.

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Nedberget Fjellgård

Across the fjord from Stigen is the high mountain farm Nedberg (the farm in the background). This was one of the best mountain farms in Aurland until it was abandoned in 1952. I believe that gården Horton is the tiny farm you can see on the top of the fjord walls and Nedberg is located behind it.

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Otternes Bygdetun

Now a museum by the name of Otternes Bygdetun, this farm was situated about 110 meters above the fjord. Otternes is an old farm complex with 27 buildings. The oldest house is documented from the year 1700, although permanent habitation is much older, perhaps back to A.D. 200, while the place has been in use since the stone age. In pagan times, the Otternes community probably buried its dead in Fronnes on the other side of the fjord, where the remains of ancient burial can be seen.

From the woods and upland pastures they carried down hay and foliage to feed their cattle, sheep and goats, and also firewood. In the summer they made butter and cheese at the high chalets. The cultivated fields were used mostly for grain and potatoes. since 1996 the old buildings have stood empty, but the farmers have built houses near by and have agriculture as a sideline.

At its height Otternes was a home to about 60 people, including crofter families down by the shore. In the latter half of the 1800's about 50 people left these farms for America.

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Stigen Gård

Between Undredal and the Beitelen headland is the mountain farm of Stigen. From the tiny quay a steep and exposed path bounds up the mountainside, the only route to the farm. At one point a little up the fjord, the path goes on a shelf blasted out of the vertical cliff. Before this was done, the only access was by ladder, which the farmer is said to have pulled when the tax man came calling. This has given the farm its name, "the ladder."

Around 1910 a pulley system was installed, consisting of two baskets on wires. The The top basket was filled with water and rocks, a bit heavier than whatever was waiting down at the fjord side. Gravity did the rest, and the work of the farm was considerable reduced. The system was motorized in 1953.

After 1970 or so the farm was inhabited except for the summer. In recent years however, the lower of the two farms is working once more - by traditional methods and tourism. The old pulley system is being restored.

Mellom Undredal og Beitelen ligger fjellgården Stigen. Fra den lille brygga går en bratt og utsatt sti opp fjellsiden, den eneste adkomst til gården. På et punkt et stykke opp fra fjorden går stien på en hylle som er sprengt ut i den loddrette fjellsiden. Før dette ble gjort var den eneste adkomst med stige, som bonden, etter sigende, dro opp hver gang skattefuten kom på besøk. Det er dette som har gitt gården navnet Stigen.

Omlag 1910 ble det bygget en løypestreng som besto av to kurver på en vaier. Den øverste kurven ble fyllt med vann og steiner, litt tyngre en det som ventet nede ved fjordkanten. Tyngdekraften gjorde resten, og på den måten sparte man mye tungt arbeid. Systemet ble motorisert i 1953.

Etter 1970 var ikke gården bebodd annet enn på sommeren. I de senere år har imidlertid den nedre av de to gårdene kommet i drift igjen, med tradisjonelle metoder og turisme. Den gamle løypestrengen blir restaurert.

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Styvi

Styvi is located on the east side of the well known Nærøyfjord. People have lived here at least since the Viking age, living primarily of domestic animals. Styvi has traditionally been an important link to both the local mail and shipping routes. The 6 kilometer long "King's post road", running along the fjord between Bleiklindi and Styvi, is a part of the old mail link between Oslo and Bergen. The foot path was built around 1660 and was used until the advent of the steamboat in 1860. The path was traditionally used when there was unsafe ice on the fjord. Styvi farm is today a farm museum were you can see a large collection of agricultural artifacts. One can also visit the old farmhouse and other existing farm buildings. Styvi is situated in the Styvi/Holmo landscape conservancy. It is primarily the rugged, untouched wilderness that has led to official protection. Styvi is accessible only by boat or ferry, but there are many connections to and from Lærdal, Kaupanger, Gudvangen, Flåm and Aurland. Contact the tourist information for timetables.

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Skjerdal

Skjerdal is still a working goat farm that lies along the Aurlandfjorden. 6 kilometers (4 miles) up the valley are high pastures and during the summer, there is cheese making. In the catholic epoch it is believed the the Aurland Priest lived here.

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Undredal Stave

Idyllic Undredal is located along the Næroyfjorden and Aurlandfjorden which is a branch off of the massive Sognfjorden in Norways "fjord-country". It is most beautiful and also home to the smallest stave-church in Northern Europe. Historically, Undredal was first mentioned when the Bishop of Bjørgvis (Bergen) placed Pål Bårdson, a known scholar, there as a representative of the church. Pål Bårdson was the Chancellor to King Magnus' court, and later Archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim) during the years of 1333 to 1346. The chapel can be dated back to 1147.

In the 1500's, the Soop family had their main residence in Undredal. Anfinn Soop was one of the largest tax payers in Sogn and may have had a noble background. The Soop family's intermarried with the local farmer's families which can be seen with the name tradition: Anders, Gjertrud, Peder,and Endre.

This is a translated quote from a historical document regarding Undredal:

...Undredal became, in spite of small units of land, a place for great and powerful families such as the Losna family, Soop family, and the intermarriage with the Finne family in Voss...

Currently the population of Undredal is 130 people, and relies on goat-ranching and the production of goat cheese as its main income revenue.

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Lærdal Stave Church

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Aurlandfjord

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Lærdalstunnelen

Lærdalstunnelen Longest road tunnel in the world at almost 25km with signs every kilometer indicating distance.


Locality	Latitude	Longitude	Distance	Bearing
Lærdal Tunnel, Lærdal, Vestland, Norway	60Â° 58' 44" N	7Â° 23' 31" E	17.3km (10.7 miles)	73.1Â° (ENE)

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