Nørholm
Encyclopedia
Nørholm, also called Nørholmen, is a manor house
and agricultural property (1,850 decare) in Grimstad
, in Aust-Agder
county, Norway
. The estate is most associated with its ownership by Nobel Prize
winning author Knut Hamsun
.
. The manor historically belonged to noble families often of Danish
origin.
The property was bought by Knut Hamsun
in 1918, and has since been owned by members of the Hamsun family. The financial award associated with the Nobel Prize made it possible for Knut Hamsun to expand the property significantly, and to live a life as farmer, much like the protagonist of his novel Growth of the Soil
which had earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature
. The current main building is from 1830, but was expanded by Hamsun in a neoclassical
style. He also built several roads on the property.
Nørholm conservation was established in 1989 through the will of Ellinor (1915-1987) the daughter of Knut Hamsun and Marie Hamsun
. Nørholm Foundation (Stiftelsen Nørholm) was created in 1995 by Victoria Hamsun, daughter of Knut's and Marie's youngest son, Arild Hamsun (1914-1988). The property is managed by Victoria Hamsun in cooperation with the Nørholm Foundation.
58°18′13"N 008°30′45"E
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and agricultural property (1,850 decare) in Grimstad
Grimstad
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Other notable places in Grimstad include Eide, Fevik, Fjære, Landvik, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal, and Roresanden.It is...
, in Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
county, 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...
. The estate is most associated with its ownership by Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning author Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
.
History
Nørholm was one of the more notable and historic farms of the traditional district AgderAgder
Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
. The manor historically belonged to noble families often of Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
origin.
The property was bought by Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
in 1918, and has since been owned by members of the Hamsun family. The financial award associated with the Nobel Prize made it possible for Knut Hamsun to expand the property significantly, and to live a life as farmer, much like the protagonist of his novel Growth of the Soil
Growth of the Soil
The Growth of the Soil is the novel by Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun which won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.-Theme:...
which had earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
. The current main building is from 1830, but was expanded by Hamsun in a neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. He also built several roads on the property.
Nørholm conservation was established in 1989 through the will of Ellinor (1915-1987) the daughter of Knut Hamsun and Marie Hamsun
Marie Hamsun
Marie Hamsun was a Norwegian actress and writer. Marie Andersen was born in Elverum, Hedmark, Norway. She was the eldest child in an affluent family. In 1897 the family moved to Christiania, where his father was involved in the property trade for twenty years until he bought the farm in Åneby in...
. Nørholm Foundation (Stiftelsen Nørholm) was created in 1995 by Victoria Hamsun, daughter of Knut's and Marie's youngest son, Arild Hamsun (1914-1988). The property is managed by Victoria Hamsun in cooperation with the Nørholm Foundation.
External links
58°18′13"N 008°30′45"E