Tørfoss kvengård
Protected Kven farmyard in Reisadalen in Nordreisa showing how a Kven family lived, with a main house, a bårstue, a smoke sauna and storehouses.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Tørfoss was cleared in the 1750s and bears witness to the Kven settlement history in Northern Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. The Kvens were originally a Finnish people, and from the 1700s many moved to areas such as Reisadalen, where they settled at the heads of fjords and in valleys with rich forest resources. The forest provided both timber and tar that could be sold.
The farm consists of a main house (våningshus), a bårstue, a smoke sauna (røykbadstue) and a farm building, as well as three storehouses (buer): a meat storehouse, a cheese and clothes storehouse, and a tool storehouse. The main house was built in 1931 and has interior from the interwar period, while the smoke sauna and the storehouses show how the farm may have looked in the 1700s. One of the storehouses probably dates from the first settlement. There are several typical Kven features, for example inner window sills that slope downwards with a water collector underneath, and doors with wooden-pin (spile) joints. In the bårstue stands a bread oven of laid grey stone and clay, which holds around 20 loaves and is fired up for school visits and events. The smoke sauna is built of log timber in the Finnish fashion and stands far from the other houses because of the fire risk.
The Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren) protected the farm in September 2019 as an important Kven cultural monument, and Nord-Troms Museum runs the farmstead as its site in Nordreisa.
Highlights
- Main house from 1931 with interior from the interwar period
- Smoke sauna built in the Finnish fashion
- Bårstue with a bread oven of laid grey stone and clay
- Three storehouses, one of them probably from the 1700s
- Protected by Riksantikvaren in 2019
Permanent exhibition
- Tørfoss kvengård – The farmstead shows how a Kven family lived and made a living in Reisadalen, and what distinguishes Kven culture from Norwegian and Sámi culture.
- Operated by
- Nord-Troms Museum
Admission & discounts
| Adults | NOK 80 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | NOK 60Students and seniors |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Children under 16 enter free. |
| Seniors | NOK 60Senior ticket (honnør). |
| Students & apprentices | NOK 60 |
| Groups (11+ people) | NOK 60 per personPrice per person for groups of more than 10 people. |
The prices apply to the museum's site in Nord-Troms.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Car park right by the farmyard.
From the E6 in Storslett centre, follow county road 865 towards Saraelv. About 18 kilometres up Reisadalen there is a signposted turn-off to Tørfoss kvengård.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours can be booked on request. The buildings are open at events on the farm; school classes and pupil groups can visit the site in the snow-free season. |
