Indre Offerdal
Encyclopedia
Indre Offerdal is a small village on the shore of the Årdalsfjord (a branch of the Sognefjord
) in the municipality of Årdal
in Sogn og Fjordane
, Norway
. It was the administrative center of the municipality of Årdal
more than 100 years ago. In those days, the main industry in Årdal
was lumber
, and Indre Offerdal had a strategic position near the forests and accessible by boat. Timber and grains were brought here from all over the region for use at the gristmill and sawmill. Materials were then shipped to Bergen
.
Today, a small museum is built on the shore of the fjord
. It consists of ten buildings including a mill
, a sawmill
, a warehouse
, and several farm buildings dating back to the 19th century. The museum is "living" and provides meals as well as accommodation and meeting facilities. There are guided tours from June through August, or by appointment. The museum is 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) by a mountain road from Årdalstangen
through the Seimsdalen
valley.
Sognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
) in the municipality of Årdal
Årdal
Årdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....
in Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It was the administrative center of the municipality of Årdal
Årdal
Årdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....
more than 100 years ago. In those days, the main industry in Årdal
Årdal
Årdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....
was lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, and Indre Offerdal had a strategic position near the forests and accessible by boat. Timber and grains were brought here from all over the region for use at the gristmill and sawmill. Materials were then shipped to Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
.
Today, a small museum is built on the shore of the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. It consists of ten buildings including a mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, a warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
, and several farm buildings dating back to the 19th century. The museum is "living" and provides meals as well as accommodation and meeting facilities. There are guided tours from June through August, or by appointment. The museum is 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) by a mountain road from Årdalstangen
Årdalstangen
Årdalstangen is a village in the municipality Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality of Årdal, and it is one of the two main population centers in the municipality, along with Øvre Årdal. The village has a population of 1,515...
through the Seimsdalen
Seimsdalen
Seimsdalen is a valley in the municipality of Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The valley is located west of the municipal center of Årdalstangen, to which it is connected via a long tunnel. The village of Indre Offerdal lies about to the southwest. The population of the valley is 433....
valley.