Kviteseid Kommune has presented Telelaget with both
volumes of their bygdebøker - Mange Takk Kviteseid Kommune!
Pop. 2,546; Area
625 sq. km. (241 sq. mi.)
Kviteseid is a tourist area with a landscape
of mountains, forest ridges and lakes. Its emblem is an old-fashioned black
lock on a yellow background, symbolizing safety. The farm Austenå has two storehouses which have
been dated at 1775 and 1795. North of Austenå is Knutsås, where the houses
seem to be wedged between boulders. Anne Knutsdotter, the heroine of a
Norwegian folksong, is supposed to have lived here.
Kviteseid
village lies along highway 39 south of Brunkeberg. It is the township's
administrative, business and service center. It has a beautiful, peaceful
location on the Sundkilen, a bay opening off Lake Kviteseid. The Kviteseid
Seminary , opened in 1819, was the first teachers' college in Norway.
Kvitsund High School, the first Lutheran
boarding school in Norway, was built in 1917. The canal boat "Victoria"
makes scheduled stops here during the summer.
Morgedal
is known nationally as "the cradle of
skiing." At a small crofter's farm high up in the hills, now a museum, lived
a man called Sondre Nordheim. The "Father of Modern
Skiing" made two important contributions to skiing: first, a
simple sort of ski binding that held the heel of the boot on the ski; and
second, a ski that was slightly narrower towards the middle and thus easier
to swing. The Olympic torch has been lit from the
hearth of Nordheim's cabin three times - for winter games in Oslo in 1952,
Squaw Valley USA, 1960, and Lillehammer in 1994.
Vrådal
is the center of the tourist industry in Kviteseid. Tourists can participate
in a program of activities which emphasize the fine terrain on the northern
shore of Lake Nisser. Boat tours can be arranged on Lake Nisser and on
Vråvatn. The ferryboat "M/S Fram" also has a regular schedule on lakes
Nisser and Vråvatn. A chair lift brings tourists up to a magnificent view
and to excellent skiing in the winter. A special hikers' map of Vrådal,
showing trails and paths is available.
Straand Hotel and Conference Center
features Summerland with water sports activities on Lake Nisser and
horseback riding. Winterland has skiing, ski-jumping, sledding, and
sleighriding. The old Straand was built in 1864 with logs in the typical
Telemark style. It is used today as a lounge area for the new hotel. There
is also a fishing school at Vrådal.
Vråliosen
is a little village in innermost Vrådal, where you will find a hotel,
campground, cottages, and apartments for rent.
Kilen
is a village on the shore of Lake Flåvatn. Nearby are Trollebotn (Troll
Valley) and the Overlandsheiene (Heaths) where the saga of Sterke-Nils took
place. On the north shore of Lake Flåvatn is Jutulbrua (Giant's Bridge), a
wharf which legend says was built by a giant who was tired of getting his
feet wet crossing the lake.
Sights to See
Olav Bjaalands Museum in
Morgedal contains displays of mementos and equipment both from the pioneer
age of Norwegian ski sport and from the South Pole Expedition.
Brunkeberg Church stands on
the same site as a stave church built about 1200. This stave church, known
as "Bruggaberga Kirkja" was torn down sometime before 1790 when the present
wooden cruciform church was built. The church is beautifully decorated with
biblical motifs painted on the center section of the ceiling and has
fittings from medieval times. It was restored in 1939/40 by
the artist Ulrik Henriksen. In the churchyard are the graves of
skiers Mikkel and Torjus Hemmestveit and Olav Bjaaland, veteran of the South
Pole Expedition.
The Kviteseid District Museum
contains 8 buildings collected from different parts of the township. Most
remarkable is the Flekstveit Cottage from what was once Western Telemark's
largest farm. The interior was decorated by rosemaler Talleiv Mølar. The
museum grounds also display traditional storehouses, a stall, a cowbarn, and
a crofter's cottage.
The Old Church of Kviteseid
lies near the District Museum on a beautiful site sloping down towards the
lake. It is a stone church built about 1150. The ceiling was decorated by
Thomas Blixius in 1714. The original portal with a carved wooden arch
showing two fighting dragons remains.
Utsondhalli is part of the
District Museum but stand slightly apart from it. It has been built to
commemorate a local sculptor, Gunnar Utsond
(1864-1950). On display are
62 of his sculptures, plus
numerous plaster casts and drawings. Utsond retired
to his place of birth after many years as a professor at the Academy of
Art in Oslo.
Kviteseid Church lies at
Hamaren, just opposite the village center. It is built of local granite and
was consecrated in 1916. Sondre Norheimstogo, the cotter's
cottage where Sondre Norheim was born, is a museum with ski artifacts.
Moen Storehouse built in
1666 and rebuilt in 1762 has many carved decorations. |
Telelaget Genealogy
Telelaget's Volunteer Genealogists for Kviteseid
Emigrant
Ancestor Database: Kviteseid
Submit your
emigrant ancestor information
Bygdebøker for Kviteseid
What's a Bygdebøk?
-
Skarprud, John. Kviteseid, Heimbygdsoge til skolebruk.
Kviteseid 1976-1977.
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Kviteseid bygdesoge. Kragerø: Eigi Forlag, 1956.
-
Loupedalen, Torjus. Bd. I. Ættesoga. 1956.
-
Bakken, Olav. Bd. II. Gardsoga. 1962
