Norwegian origins

A view over the lake from Sunnfjord museum. Old wooden buildings with grass growing on the roof

Things to do in Førde; Sunnfjord museum

Visiting an open-air museum, can be a fun and interesting activity. Sunnfjord museum is a small open-air museum, about 10 minutes’ drive from Førde. The museum was originally in Førde, but was moved to its current scenic location at Movika in 1950.

What can you see at Sunnfjord museum?

There is a museum building with different exhibits, but for me the 32 historic buildings are the stars of the show. The buildings were collected from different farms in the area, and represent different historical eras, and the various kinds of buildings you could find on a farm back in the day. An old schoolhouse is also included. The area of Movika used to be a tenant farm, and the little house from the farm is still here, and part of the exhibit. The tenant farmer’s house is among the newest – it’s from the 1800s. The oldest buildings are from the 1500s. Let me introduce you to two of them:

The loft

Norwegian "loft" from the 1700s. It's a weathered wooden building with grass on the roof, in a beautiful green landscape.
The loft is two storeys, the sleeping and clothes storage is upstairs

The loft was a particularly important building. It was used both for storage and as sleeping quarters, especially for guests. The house always has two floors. The word “loft” in Norwegian contemporary usage means “attic”. This type of house takes its name from the upper floor of the house – which is a loft.

Old wooden door with multiple crosses painted on it. The crosses are painted with blood.
The door to the loft protected by crosses painted with blood
Historical Norwegian clothes in bold colours stored in a traditional wooden loft.
Clothes stored in the loft. The colours are bold primary colours combined with black wool fabric. You can see the resemblance with the bunad.
Accessories made from yarn and fabric. Traditional Norwegian colours. Stored in a chest in the loft.
Accessories made from yarn and fabric. Traditional Norwegian colours. Stored in a chest in the loft.

The loft was often one of the more elaborate buildings on a farm – as it also was a demonstration of status and wealth. The construction of lofts started in medieval times and continued until around 1800. After 18he 00 the functions of the loft was moved to the house proper. You can still see them today when driving around the countryside.

The stabbur

The stabbur is a storage house, primarily for food. A common characteristic is that it’s built on “stilts” of different kinds – wood or stone, or a combination of both. At Movika there are stone steps to enter the stabbur. You may be able to see that there’s a big gap between the top step and the door. All these features are meant to keep the critters out. These types of buildings are common in northern Scandinavia, but similar ones can be found in other mountainous parts of Europe.

Old grey wooden building on "stilts". A stabbur used for food storage. Grass is growing on the roof.
As you can see the food would be well protected in the stabbur
The wooden "baskets" are called tine. Used for storage and for bringing food to weddings and other big events. Decorated in simple rosemaling.
The wooden “baskets” are called tine. Used for storage and for bringing food to weddings and other big events
Various items for storing and preparing food. Mostly made from wood.
Various items for storing and preparing food

If you want to know more about the museum, then have a look here.