Turtagrø
Encyclopedia
Turtagrø is a hotel in the municipality of Luster
in Sogn og Fjordane
county, Norway, near Hurrungane
in Jotunheimen
. The hotel has been a central meeting place for mountaineers from the late 1800s.
, north of Hurrungane
in Jotunheimen. It can be a starting point for hiking tours to Fannaråken, Skogadalsbøen
and the peaks and ridges of Hurrungane, including climbing the Store Skagastølstind
.
in Jotunheimen from the late 1800s, and among the early vistors were William Cecil Slingsby
, Howard Priestman and Carl Hall. The two hotels merged in 1911, when Berge bought the other hotel from Øiene. After Berge's death in 1928, his daughter Kari Berge was running the hotel. The road Sognefjellsvegen
, which passes Turtagrø, was finished in 1938. In 1938 the climbing association Norsk Tindeklub
also built their own cabin in Skagadalen, and these events eventually contributed to a change in Turtagrø's role and the type of visitors.
On 28 April 1940, during the closing days of the Norwegian Campaign
in South Norway
, German prisoners of war
from the Norwegian 2nd Division's abandoned Lom prisoner of war camp
and their guards arrived at Turtagrø. The prisoners and guards spent the night at Turtagrø on their way west to Vadheim
in Sogn
. The weakest of the prisoners were left under guard at the hotel, later to be retrieved by snow sleds.
From 1953 the hotel was run by Johannes Drægni. In 1962 Drægni established the first climbing school in Norway, Den Norske Klatreskole, at Turtagrø. The climbing school operated until 1975. Ole Berge Drægni was running the hotel from 1997. In 2001 the old main building burned down in a fire. A new hotel building opened in 2002. Ole Berge Drægni perished in the tsunami in Thailand in 2004, and his then four-year-old daughter Sofie inherited the majority of the stocks.
Luster, Norway
Luster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne. Other villages include Skjolden, Hafslo, Jostedal, and Veitastrond....
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....
county, Norway, near Hurrungane
Hurrungane
Hurrungane is a mountain range in the municipalities Luster and Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway...
in Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
. The hotel has been a central meeting place for mountaineers from the late 1800s.
Location
Turtagrø is located near the old mountain route and current road SognefjellsvegenSognefjellsvegen
The Sognefjellsvegen or Sognefjellsveien is the highest mountain pass road in Northern Europe. It is located in Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane counties in Norway. It is a national tourist road and starts in the village of Lom in the municipality of Lom, it then travels over the Sognefjell mountain...
, north of Hurrungane
Hurrungane
Hurrungane is a mountain range in the municipalities Luster and Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway...
in Jotunheimen. It can be a starting point for hiking tours to Fannaråken, Skogadalsbøen
Skogadalsbøen
Skogadalsbøen is a cabin in Luster in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway, in the western part of Jotunheimen, owned by the Norwegian Trekking Association . The cabin lies 834 metres above sea level, in the valley Utladalen. The site was originally the location of several summer mountain farms. The tourist...
and the peaks and ridges of Hurrungane, including climbing the Store Skagastølstind
Store Skagastølstind
Store Skagastølstind is the third highest peak in Norway. It is situated on the border between the municipality of Luster and Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The mountain is part of the Hurrungane range...
.
History
The first hotel at Turtagrø was built in 1888 by mountain guide Ola Berge. Later the same year a second hotel was built by Ole Øiene, only 100 metres apart. Turtagrø was a central meeting place for the pioneers of mountaineeringMountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
in Jotunheimen from the late 1800s, and among the early vistors were William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby
William Cecil Slingsby was an English mountain climber and alpine explorer.Slingsby first visited Norway in 1872 and fell in love with the country. He has been called the discoverer of the Norwegian mountains, and the father of Norwegian mountaineering...
, Howard Priestman and Carl Hall. The two hotels merged in 1911, when Berge bought the other hotel from Øiene. After Berge's death in 1928, his daughter Kari Berge was running the hotel. The road Sognefjellsvegen
Sognefjellsvegen
The Sognefjellsvegen or Sognefjellsveien is the highest mountain pass road in Northern Europe. It is located in Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane counties in Norway. It is a national tourist road and starts in the village of Lom in the municipality of Lom, it then travels over the Sognefjell mountain...
, which passes Turtagrø, was finished in 1938. In 1938 the climbing association Norsk Tindeklub
Norsk Tindeklub
Norsk Tindeklub is a Norwegian mountaineering association. The club was founded in 1908. The association issues climbing guides and mountaineering books. The club has issued several jubilee books in the series Norsk Fjellsport...
also built their own cabin in Skagadalen, and these events eventually contributed to a change in Turtagrø's role and the type of visitors.
On 28 April 1940, during the closing days of the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
in South Norway
South Norway
South Norway is the southern third of Norway, consisting of the regions Vestlandet, Østlandet and Sørlandet. South Norway has no administrative functions, and does not constitute a cultural or linguistic region - as opposed to Central Norway/Trøndelag and particularly North Norway...
, German prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
from the Norwegian 2nd Division's abandoned Lom prisoner of war camp
Lom prisoner of war camp
Lom prisoner of war camp was a facility used by the Norwegian 2nd Division to hold German prisoners-of-war during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War...
and their guards arrived at Turtagrø. The prisoners and guards spent the night at Turtagrø on their way west to Vadheim
Vadheim
Vadheim is a village in the municipality of Høyanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the north shore of the Sognefjord, along the highway . It is about northeast of the village of Lavik, northwest of Kyrkjebø, and northwest of Austreim...
in Sogn
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...
. The weakest of the prisoners were left under guard at the hotel, later to be retrieved by snow sleds.
From 1953 the hotel was run by Johannes Drægni. In 1962 Drægni established the first climbing school in Norway, Den Norske Klatreskole, at Turtagrø. The climbing school operated until 1975. Ole Berge Drægni was running the hotel from 1997. In 2001 the old main building burned down in a fire. A new hotel building opened in 2002. Ole Berge Drægni perished in the tsunami in Thailand in 2004, and his then four-year-old daughter Sofie inherited the majority of the stocks.