Our wedding anniversary was approaching and the question was where to go to celebrate such a beautiful, round number as 29? After having been locked in at home office, first because of corona restrictions, then the storm Gyda, we felt an urge to leave our home for a while. We went to the mansion Bårdshaug Herregård in Orkanger, 42 km west of Trondheim. But who was Bård?
Bårdshaug Herregård was built by Christian Thams between 1890 and 1904 and consists of buildings in many styles put together like a fairytale castle. The tower is in Jugend style and has a chandelier that stretches over 2 floors. Classy!
Christian Thams was an architect, founder, business man, minister, consul and mansion owner. He took over the wood processing company Strandheim Brug in 1890 and amongst other things started production of prefabricated houses.
Strandheim Brug made the prefabricated stave church “The Norway building” for the world exhibition in Chicago in 1893. The church, now called the “Thams pavillion”, came back to Orkanger in 2017 after 123 years in the USA. Thanks to local patriots (whom the Norwegian Minister Of Culture with positive intent called “some crazy locals in Orkanger”) in the project group “Home again” (Heimatt), you now can visit this lovely stave church at Bårdshaug:
At the mansion you are welcomed with: ‘Heill ok Sæll’ = Healthy and Happy. Quite suitable for a wedding anniversary at our age?
Knut found a grand piano to play on in the ladies’ after dinner room, which another visitor jumpingly appreciated:
Idun liked the men’s after dinner room better: The library. Most of the books are said to be rather risqué, french literature!
Knut found the stairways to be even more interesting:
For the big occation we had reserved the King’s room. The bed was made for the visit of King Oscar II at Bårdshaug in 1902.
The King’s room has since been used by King Leopold II (of Belgium), King Olav V, Crown Prince Håkon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette Marit. YES, it felt royal!
The bath of the day had to be in the river Orkla, which passes right behind Bårdshaug. We had received a tip that there are nice, marked hiking paths both east and west of the river. And yes, the paths where overwhelmingly well marked. Overwhelmingly!
Jumping from Gjølme bridge was supposed to be standard procedure for bold swimmers in Orkanger, but we chickened out from that challenge. The river water was brown after the storm Gyda. We didn’t want to risk “a Birgit” (Norwegian para-athletic who lost use of both legs after jumping into shallow water) by jumping into muddy water without seeing the river bottom.
However, to the west of Orkla, right downstream from Gjølme bru we found this bird box:
With stairs down to the water inside the box!
Strangely enough, there where no benches or lockers for changing. Wasn’t this a bathing house after all? Anyway, for us it became one, even though getting out under it was a little unpractical.
NB! Don’t even think about jumping in from the upper floor! It is veeery shallow here. Except that, a great wedding anniversary bath: Brown, muddy, cold and snow in the wind. Can’t get any better! Or?
Back home the man in the house had done his part for a nice return:
