The farm

Nigard Bolkesjø is located by Blefjell mountain, in Telemark. The property extends from the beautiful lake Follsjø to the border of Kongsberg municipality. We are passionate about our cultural heritage and the rich history of the area.

There are long traditions for tourism at Bolkesjø, it was once called "The tourists gate to the wonderland". Travelers has visited since 1624. Then, Bolkesjø was one day travel by horse from Kongsberg. During the Romantic era, there were rumors in southern Europe about the wild nature and the real wilderness in which was located in Telemark. Many travelers found their way to this desolated place and the foreigners eventually also made it attractive for Norwegians to explore their homeland. During the time of the national romanticism in Norway, Bolkesjø was visited by artists such as Adolph Tidemand, J.C. Dahl, Johannes Flinto and more. Of others who have visited Bolkesjø we can mention Jules Vern, President Grant, Prins Eugen, Arne Garborg, Fridtjof Nansen and Golda Meir.

The first Bolkesjø hotel was opened in 1881. It was built by Anne's great-great-grandfather Halvor Bolkesjø and his brother-in-law, Ola Bolkesjø from the neighboring farm Uppigard. Halvor's daughter, Mari Bolkesjø was 23 years old when she became the manager of the hotel. In the spring of 1893, the hotel was completed in dragon style, designed by Herman Backer, who is also the architect behind Holmenkollen hotell. Mari, her husband Torjus and their descendants owned the hotel until the 1960s. Unfortunately, the dragon extension was demolished in 1978.

Nigard Bolkesjø consists of more than 20 buildings today, most of them are more than 100 years old. The oldest building on the farm is Årestua from the 1220s. At some point, this was the main building at the farm, with an open-hearth. The process of renovating it and make it available for the public has started, but it will take several years.

The main building on the farm is from 1891. The other house is much older, parts of the building are from the 17th century. The two seemingly similar lofts in the yard are in fact far from the same. The oldest is from 1739. The second, Stabburet, where there is a rental on the second floor, was built in the early 1900s. There is also a small stabbur in the yard, which we call Veslebur. This is described as "very old" in the book Norske Gårdsbruk, but has not been accurately examined.

Husmannsplassen Jonrud by Follsjø belongs to the farm. People have lived here at least since the 18th century. The place consists of a cottage, a stabbur, a barn, a stable and a pigsty. The Stable is available for short time rentals and the pigsty has been turned into a sauna. The flower meadow between the cottage and the road is cared for according to old traditions.

Far in the forest towards Kongsberg, is Stulen. Stule is the local name for a old dairy farm. The dairy maid would take the animals here to grazed in the summer, to utilize the grazing resources in the field. They would also produce prim, cheese and butter from the milk. The place originally consisted of a cottage, a stable and a barn. The barn has been moved to Holmevann, where it still is together with a timber hut that was used by forest workers.

Old buildings decay quickly when not in use, so we are grateful that you visit us and contribute to protecting them through use.