EXPERIENCE KARMØY Contents Welcome to Karmøy 6 Karmøy in Europe 8 Karmøy Guide Map 10 Avaldsnes - Norway’s birthplace 12 Skudeneshavn 36 The Great Outdoors 50 North Sea beaches 66 Activities galore 72 Festivals 80 “Yellow Pages” 92 3 KARMØY ANTHEM: “PÅ HEIMLEG GRUNN” Great and rich your verdant pastures, Stout against the sea you face, Karmøy praise your hardy coastline! NILS AARØY 5 Welcome to Karmøy Homeland of the Viking Kings – Norway’s Birthplace Come and experience Karmøy – with rocks and skerries protecting us from the raging sea in the West. With long, silky-smooth, sandy beaches in bays and inlets – and with eternal swells pounding the coast. Real maritime culture, dramatic ocean, silvery fresh fish and a vibrant heritage – that’s Karmøy today. With a mix of small hamlets, pleasant shopping centres, historical sights, modern industry – all jostling cheek-to-jowl with traditional agriculture and active fisheries. Walk in the footsteps of Harald Fairhair who first united Norway in a single kingdom. Olav’s Church, the Nordvegen History Centre and the Viking Farm, all at Avaldsnes, invite you to relive history. Let these princes and kings, with their indentured trells, be your guide. The Church and History Centre offer majestic views of sheltered Karmsund strait. 6 7 Karmøy in Europe Daily flights connect Oslo with Haugesund Airport, Karmøy. International services arrive from London, Malaga, Alicante, Copenhagen, Gdansk and Gran Canaria. It is also possible to cross by car ferry from Hirtshals in Denmark to Kristiansand or Stavanger. Then either drive or take a luxury coach to Karmøy. 8 iceland sweden finland norway oslo russia estonia hirtshals latvia denmark lithuania copenhagen ireland gdansk belarus u.k. poland netherlands london germany belgium tjekkia ukraine slovakia moldova austria switzerland hungary france slovenia romania croatia italiy bosnia serbia bulgaria montenegro macedonia albania spain portugal greece alicante turkey malaga gran canaria 9 11 HÅVIK HØYEVARDE BUS SERVICE 19 KM K AR TO STAVANGER MØYTUNNELEN AND BERGEN FV47 16 KM Haugalands- KARMØY vatnet FISHERY MUSEUM VEAVÅGEN 12 KM FV47 KOPERVIK ÅKREHAMN COASTAL MUSEUM FV511 ÅKREHAMN 4 KM BU RM AV EG OLD BOAT- EN HOUSES AT HOP 8 KM 10 E39 13 KM 8 KM 9-HOLE GOLF FERRY: ARSVÅGEN - MORTAVIKA 20 MIN SKUDENESHAVN LEISURE PARK STAVANGER MÆLANDSGÅRDEN MUSEUM SKUDENESHAVN VIKEHOLMEN GEITUNGEN Karmøy Guide Map Coastline: 140 km. Population: 42,062.42,187. Highest point on island: Sålefjell, 132 m. Highest point in borough: Dyrafjellet 172 m. There are three towns on the island: Kopervik, Åkrehamn and Skudeneshavn. The borough is part of the Haugaland/ Haugesund region. 11 BUS SERVICE TO E134 OSLO, BERGEN, AKSDAL STAVANGER HAUGESUND FAST FERRY: N HAUGESUND - FEØY 20 MIN 9-HOLE GOLF HAUSKE GÅRD MINIGOLF 18-HOLE GOLF E134 KVEITEVIKEN THE FIVE POOR MAIDENS E39 FV47 VISNES MINE CENTRE SMELTING FURNACE STATUE OF LIBERTY VIKING FARM E134 OLAV’S CHURCH AIRPORT NORDVEGEN HISTORY CENTRE E134 FV47 HÅVIK 10 Avaldsnes – Norway’s birthplace 12 13 A historic landscape with views across the narrow strait that in Viking times was known as the North Way – the way north – and the way Norway got its name! 12 13 Avaldsnes – Norway’s oldest royal seat Harald Fairhair chose this as the site of one of his Royal Manors. The historical remains here reveal ancient facts about the first kings of Norway and the legendary figures who appear so often in sagas and songs. The barons who controlled the vital ”Northern Way” have left impressive works: great burial mounds, tall memorial stones and rich finds. Beside the medieval church is a history centre and, to the East, a reconstruction of a Viking Farm. 14 15 HAUGESUND FEØY TORVASTAD NORHEIM E134 REHAUGANE VISNES VORMEDAL OLAV’S CHURCH NORDVEGEN HISTORY CENTRE VIKING FARM AVALDSNES HAUGESUND AIRPORT, KARMØY E134 RØYKSUND KARMSUNDET KVALAVÅG FV47 VEAVÅGEN KOPERVIK FV47 FV511 ÅKREHAMN 15 Olav’s Church, built by Håkon Håkonsen in about 1250 AD, is a powerful memorial to former greatness. - Did you know that Avaldsnes became an important stopping place for pilgrims going to Nidaros? 16 Virgin Mary’s Needle The Sagas warn that Doomsday will be upon us if ever the ”sewing needle” touches the church wall. The clergymen of Avaldsnes – under cover of darkness – are said to have chiselled bits off the point and thus saved the world. The gap between the needle and the church wall is presently 9.2 cm. 17 Avaldsnes is one of Norway’s most important areas of cultural history. In order to best preserve the integrity of the church as well as the historical landscape, most of Nordvegen History Centre is located underground. The entrance area symbolizes ’Mime’s Well’, which is the fount of knowledge in Norse mythology. 18 19 Now is your chance to meet Harald Fairhair, the king who unified Norway and made Avaldsnes the oldest royal seat. Let Harald guide you through 3500 years of local history, during times when Avaldsnes was where Norway and Europe met. Listen to his tales of royal doings, and take the opportunity to meet some of the kings who held court at Avaldsnes, funded by taxation of trading ships plying the Norwegian coast. Open all year Telephone + 47 52 81 24 00 www.avaldsnes.info 20 The Norse God Odin came to Avaldsnes in AD 998. He told King Olav Tryggvason about King Augvald and other kings who had lived and ruled there. 21 At Avaldsnes, you can be ’Viking for a Day’ and ’Archaeologist for a Day’, dress up and take part in activities. What was life like in the Viking Age? What can we learn about the past by studying the finds archaeologists make during their digs? Activity booklets at Nordvegen History Centre. 22 23 A Viking sheep, perhaps? The grassy mounds between Olav’s Church and Bukkøy Viking Farm are a fine example of how agriculture shapes the landscape. And a reminder to greet the tireless groundsmen – the “Viking Sheep”! Not content just to graze, these hardy animals enjoy human company and are pleased to say hello to passers-by! 22 23 A short walk from Nordvegen History Centre brings you to a reconstructed Viking settlement that features a longhouse, a boat house for a Viking warship, a roundhouse and several smaller buildings. Meet Vikings for activities and guided tours during the summer season. 24 An exciting assignment as an «Archaeologist or Viking for a day», archery and handicrafts are some of the things you can participate in here. 25 The Viking Longhouse 26 The Viking era ranged from AD 750 to AD 1100 when people from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark made their mark on Europe. The Vikings are mostly known as pirates and warriors, but they were also traders, craftsmen, farmers, fishermen, poets and discoverers. The nation states of Scandinavia were established. 27 Twist bread Easy to make ... 4 dl flour Mix dry ingredients together, then add oil and water. Work to 2 tsp baking powder a smooth dough and store in an air-tight plastic bag. Carve sticks, 1/2 tsp salt twirl dough round stick, and bake on fire until dough comes 2 tsp sugar loose. Be careful not to char. Alternatively, bake bread around a 5 tbsp soy oil pre-fried sausage. 1,5 dl water Another good idea is to add spices, grated cheese or sun-dried tomatoes to the dough. For a sweeter bread, add chopped chocolate to dough! Or swirl bread in a mix of sugar and cinnamon before baking! 28 Pack sausages, bread dough and wood logs for the campfire and find a place on the seashore below the Viking Farm. 29 FEØY TORVASTAD VISNES Visnes – momentous THE SMELTER WORKS STATUE OF LIBERTY MINE MUSEUM industrial heritage AVALDSNES HAUGESUND AIRPORT, At Visnes you will discover the history of the mining KARMØY community which in the 1800s had 3000 inhabitants and was the largest and most modern copper work in Northern Europe. The Statue of Liberty in New York is KOPERVIK made from copper produced here. VEAVÅGEN Take a stroll in the outdoor area and follow the heritage trail to the riding tracks, the garden pavilion, and the ÅKREHAMN ruins of the smelting plant out by the sea. Bring the kids to the mine playground, partake in a treasure hunt and maybe you’ll find a lump of copper pyrite in the copper FERKINGSTAD washing plant! The museum is open during the summer and by appointment Telephone +47 91 76 65 65 www.visitkarmoy.no SANDVE SKUDENESHAVN 30 The Mining Cafè – in the old operations office dating from 1868. 31 paste in a photo of you with the statue of liberty 32 33 There’s no need to go to New York to get your picture taken with the Statue of Liberty! Imagine that! – Copper from the Visnes mines was used to protect the very symbol of the USA: The Statue of Liberty! Here she stands, a memorial in the marketplace in Visnes, waiting for you to come along and take a picture! 33 34 The weather-worn buildings that once housed the smelter works are a poignant reminder of the days of mining here in the late 1800s. 35 Skudeneshavn 36 37 “The Lady in the Park”, the figure adorning the park entrance, has become the very symbol of Skudeneshavn. 37 Skudeneshavn - Awardwinning Summer Town The charming town of Skudeneshavn lies at the southern point of the island of Karmøy, with lighthouses facing the Skudefjord and the North Sea. The herring fisheries in the early 19th century made the town a bustling hive of industry, and it was in this period that what is known today as the ’Historic Town’ emerged.