A mansion, salmon and timber hand in hand in Kristiansand, Norway

This week I continue my walk along Tovdalselva / Tovdal River in the outskirts of Kristiansand. This week my walk starts where I ended last week. At the sign that tells me I am Boen Gård.

Here on the banks of the Tovdal River, we find a stately mansion, close to the modern Boen Bruk. These two are closely connected. Boen Bruk is a factory producing high quality hardwood floors. But the history to Boen Bruk and Boen Gård goes as far back as the 16th century. At that time two sawmills not far from Kristiansand, laid the foundation for Boen to become the leading supplier of the 3- layer parquet they are known for. Todays walk along the river took me to both Boen Bruk and Boen Gård.

The story of Boen begins in the 16th century

The Tovdal River was used as a transport routy for timeber that came from the forests further inland. From the 17th and 18th centuries there was a great demand for timber in Europe. A sawmill was built at the falls at Boen. The river is also known for salmon. In the 16th century, salmon swam up the river to the waterfall, before continuing to their spawning grounds further up. At that time, Norway was under Denmark and the Danish king Christian II ruled. On behalf of the state, he transferred the right to use the salmon fishery and the farm to some of his officials in Norway in exchange for money in kind. From then on, a small community of fishermen and craftsmen grew up around Boen.

Boen has had several owners. One of them was queen Sofie Amalie of Denmark. She was the owner of the property at the end of the 17th century. After the 18th century, various owners took over until today.

But it was not until 1802 – 1812 the main house as we see it today, was built. The beautiful main building is an Empire style building, built in two-story. The side buildings are one story. When it was completed in 1812 it belonged to one family, but it didn't take long before the owners changed (1929). It was a shipbroker, who was also a lumber merchant who bought the place. It is his descendants who run the place today.

For years it was closed to the public, but in 2012 that it was opened for private events. Today, Boen Gård offers accommodation and a restaurant with exquisite food. The lovingly restored buildings are surrounded by the garden and the beautiful countryside. I haven't been enjoying a meal here, but I can imagine dining here will be a memorable experience. The ingrediences used by the kitchen, come from the garden and the river.

I continued my walk along the river. Sheep and fishermen are the only living creatures I see on my way. The sun makes it difficult to take good photos, but I hope you can see the sheep and the two fishermen down by the riverbank? It is said that there are hardly any salmon in the river today, so I don't know if those two are catching salmon. But in the 16th and 17th century the annual catches was up to 4,000 salmon, which made Tovdal River considered one of the best salmon rivers in the country. Since 1970, the salmon have been absent. This is due to the acid rain that began to be seriously felt in the early 20th century.

The story of the sawmill

Since the 17th century there has been quite a rich business life here at Boen. Since the 17th and 18th century Boen attraced nobels and royalty. Because of the salmon fishing, especially the British nobility came to visit Boen and Boen Gård. At the end of the 16th century, large quantities of timber were transported down the river. From the river mouth, the logs were floated to places far out in the fjord. Dutch ships were ready to transport the timber further into Europe.

In the beginning, timber was processed with axes. But when water-powered sawmills were invented at the end of the 16th century, it was a major advance. Even larger quantities of timber could be delivered and it could be done in a much shorter time. The sawmill here at Boen was built in 1641. In fact, it was the same year that Kristiansand was founded by the Danish king. It was also this timber trade that was the prerequisite for our city to come into being. We can therefore say that the Tovdalsvassdraget has contributed to the emergence of Kristiansand.

When a shipbroker bought Boen, he modernized the business after WWII. Boen is well-known because of the hardwood floors they have produced since 1953. They are respected for the high quality products they make. Some of you reading this will probably know the name Boen.

My walk ends after I cross the bridge. From here I take the bus home. A nice walk that has offered autumn colors, beautiful scenery and a bit of local history.