Agatunet

About the museum

Agatunet is one of the few preserved cluster farmsteads (klyngetun) in Norway and shows West Norwegian building traditions from the Middle Ages until today. The old great farm Aga has grown into a cluster farmstead between fjord and mountain in Inner Hardanger, and people have probably lived here for more than 3,700 years. There are prehistoric remains both inside and outside the farmstead, including burial mounds, sacrificial pits and rock carvings.

The oldest house is the Lagmannsstova, built around 1220 by the family of the knight, royal councillor and Gulating lawspeaker (lagmann) Sigurd Brynjulvsson. The hall was built as an administrative complex on the European model and was used as a residence for representation and as a courtroom. Today it is the only building of its kind in Norway and one of the country's best-preserved secular medieval buildings. The farm was central to fruit and trade enterprises across Hardangervidda and has had a chapel, school, general store, post office and telegraph station.

45 of the buildings were listed in connection with the land consolidation (jordskiftet) of 1938, and 30 of them now belong to Stiftelsen Agatunet. The farmstead is open to the public in the summer half-year with guided tours, café, exhibitions, concerts and events, and is run today by Hardanger og Voss museum.

Highlights

• Lagmannsstova from around 1220, Norway's oldest known courtroom
• Cluster farmstead with 30 preserved buildings
• Guided tour of the farmstead and the knights' hall
• Café and museum shop in Lensmannsstova
• The national law exhibition “Lov om land”

Permanent exhibitions

• Klyngetunet med Lagmannsstova – Guided tour of the farmstead and the knights' hall Lagmannsstova from around 1220, with stories of Aga as a centre of power.
• Lov om land – Permanent exhibition on the national law in the northern basement of Lagmannsstova.

Operated by

Hardanger og Voss museum

Admission & discounts

Adult tickets apply from age 16. Visits outside opening hours are arranged with the museum, with a minimum price that varies depending on whether the visit takes place during the day or in the evening.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Agatunet is an old, listed farmstead and far from universally designed. The central outdoor area is flat with compacted gravel, while at the back of the farmstead there is grass and stepping stones. The road up to the farmstead is steep and requires good arm strength for manual wheelchair users. Most of the buildings cannot be reached by wheelchair. The building with café, reception and shop has a temporary ramp at the back, but high thresholds, and some doors are only 80 cm wide. The serving room in Asbjørnsløa has step-free access. There is no accessible car park, but specially adapted vehicles can arrange to use the staff car park below the farmstead. A written guide can be borrowed, and it is also available online to be read aloud. Please contact the museum in advance to arrange access.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area

Children under 16 enter free. The basement rooms of the medieval building are used for an exhibition and a play room.

Getting there & parking

Agatunet lies by county road 550 between Odda and Utne. Turn off onto the “gamlevegen” (old road; follow the signs) just before Agatunnelen. Access via Odda, Jondal or Utne (ferry from Kinsarvik and Kvanndal). By own boat, there is a deep-water quay at the boathouse row below the farmstead and a small-boat harbour with a guest berth at Aga.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Small café and museum shop in Lensmannsstova (Ådnesstova) with cakes, waffles, open sandwiches, simple hot dishes, ice cream and local apple products, and a licence to serve alcohol. Outdoor seating and benches throughout the farmstead. Small library with books for loan. Larger meals for groups must be booked in advance.

Events & venue rental

Asbjørnsløa is used for events and food service.

Plan your visit