“We are very grateful to have received the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's Cultural Heritage Award for 2022. It's absolutely fantastic,” says Sigrid Sønnerheim Tønnessen, leader of "Friends of Aurlandsdalen.".
Every quarter, the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's Cultural Heritage Award is presented to individuals, organizations, or communities that have made a special contribution to cultural heritage. The award is presented during the Directorate's autumn meeting, which is being held in Røros this week.
Aurlandsdalen, from Aurland to Hol, is one of the old transport routes between Western Norway and Eastern Norway. The road was used as a farm road, a mountain road, a transport road, and now a hiking trail. Friends of Aurlandsdalen is an active volunteer group that takes care of this historic transport route.
"We are a volunteer group that works on the trail and tries to maintain it. It is very important to take care of the trails in Aurlandsdalen, as they are connected to our roots. This was the main road from Western Norway to Eastern Norway. Everyone who used the valley walked on these trails, which is why they are an important part of our cultural history, says Sønnerheim Tønnessen.
Popular tourist destination
The landscape is constantly changing, and it requires annual effort from many people to keep the trail open for the approximately twenty thousand visitors who come there every year. In 2018, the route was given the status of “Historic Hiking Trail,” a collaboration between the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and DNT that aims to make old trails better known and more widely used.
"Friends of Aurlandsdalen are doing a fantastic job of preserving our history," says Hanna Geiran, Director General of the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, "and they devote their free time to nature and cultural heritage for the benefit of us all.".
The association has around four hundred volunteer hours per year and organizes, among other things, an annual cleanup trip on May 1. It is not only people who live in the area who participate in the volunteer work, but also other enthusiasts from around the country.
– In Aurlandsdalen, cultural and natural heritage go hand in hand. The old roads connected people from east and west, and were the lifeline for those who lived in the small fjords of Western Norway. The fact that we can still walk these routes, even hundreds of years after they fell out of daily use, brings us closer to those who were here before us. The efforts of volunteers to preserve the beautiful cultural landscape of Aurlandsdalen cannot be measured in dollars and cents, says Geiran.
The jury's reasoning
Friends of Aurlandsdalen is an active and dedicated volunteer group that takes care of an important historical transport route. For many years, volunteers have worked to maintain the cultural landscape.
The landscape in the valley is constantly changing, and it requires annual efforts by volunteers to keep the trail open for the many thousands of visitors who come every year.
There are many friends, including enthusiasts from other parts of Norway, as well as people with roots in the valley and others who are mountain enthusiasts from Aurlandsdalen.
The efforts of Friends of Aurlandsdalen make hiking through Aurlandsdalen one of the most beautiful nature and cultural experiences in Norway!
The Year of Volunteering 2022 will celebrate Norway's most important teamwork. With this year's award, the jury wishes to highlight and honor volunteer efforts in cultural heritage preservation. Friends of Aurlandsdalen is a prime example of this.
Previous winners of the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's Cultural Heritage Award:
2021: Møllstunet in Geiranger
2020: Inga Næss
2019: Torbjørn Løland and Per Olav Mathiesen
2018: The Old Skudeneshavn Association
2017: Rindegarden, owned by Monica Lill Normann and Mads Rogn
2016: Morten Tranøy and Carl Frederik Thorsager
2015: Else «Sprossa» Rønnevig
2014: Hjerleid School and Craft Center
2013: Johannes Rørtveit
2012: Geirr Vetti
The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's Cultural Heritage Award is presented to individuals, organizations, or communities that have made a special contribution to:
- preservation and/or restoration of cultural heritage sites
- dissemination of cultural heritage, nationally or regionally
- use/reuse and maintenance of cultural heritage sites
