Photo: Ryfylkemuseet · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Viga

Museum farm in Hjelmeland with a farmyard from 1821, a smoke room from the 17th century, an orchard and exhibitions on farm life and traditional crafts; open in summer.

Opening hours

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About the museum

Viga is a museum farm of high cultural-historical value in Hjelmeland. It is believed that people have lived here for a couple of thousand years, and in the area there are burial mounds and finds from the Viking Age. Written sources can trace the farm back to the 1500s. Viga was one of the largest farms in Hjelmeland, with several servants and farming based on crops, livestock and fruit cultivation.

The farmyard looks as it did in 1821, with a main house (stovehus) and smoke room (røykstove) from the 17th century, a cookhouse (eldhus), a storehouse (stabbur), a barn (låve) and the smaller Sisselastova. Vigatunet was vacated in 1955 and taken over as a museum farmyard in 1970. The former owner left much of the furnishings in place, so visitors can get close to the everyday life of the people who lived here. Ryfylkemuseet has restored the buildings in traditional building style, and in 1990 a fruit-history garden with over 100 trees of traditional apple, pear and plum varieties from Ryfylke was laid out.

In the summer season a local guide offers guided tours and tells about life at Viga.

Highlights

Farmyard as it looked in 1821, with a smoke room from the 17th century
Large collection of objects and untouched furnishings
Fruit-history garden with over 100 traditional trees
Exhibition on traditional crafts in the restored barn
Guided tour with a local guide in the summer season

Permanent exhibitions

Viga – garden og folka – Exhibition about the farm and the people who lived and worked at Viga.
Tradisjonshåndverk og frukt- og bærdyrking – Exhibitions on traditional crafts in the restored barn and on fruit and berry cultivation in Ryfylke.

Founded: 1970
Operated by: Ryfylkemuseet