The Skålia Farm - June 2015
Helge Kristoffersdtr lived with her parents, husmann med jord (tenant farmer with land) Kristoffer Olsen and Gunhild Larsdtr on the Skålia on the Kopseng farm in Eggedal (pictured on the left), Buskerud, Norway. (Skålia is pronounced school'-e-ah.) The main Kopseng farm nestles against the mountains on the valley floor that stretches down to a lake with its pastures and fields surrounding it.
Most of the husmenn lived on the mountains behind the main farm. The Skålia farm sits in a small meadow in the mountains above the farm in this picture.
Until the 1980s, there was no road from the valley to the mountain top; it was an arduous climb on foot or with horses to reach these remote farms. Thankfully, a timber road was built that winds 5-6 miles up the mountain and allows access to the farms above. Ths Skålia farm is now used a mountain cabin. A steep driveway climbs up the mountain from the timber road. Skålia lies about 2 1/2 miles from the end of the timber road, where the path to the Enderud farm begins.
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The driveway to Skålia | The original cabin has been updated and now serves |
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Remnants of another farm building now hang over the edge of the mountain to the right of the house as pictured above. |