In 2023 and 2024, the National Trust of Norway will receive NOK. 1.3 million from the National Heritage Board for the project Light in old houses.
- «This project can best be described as a »Tinder' for old houses and new owners," says Hanna Geiran, Director of Antiquities. "It will match empty houses with potential new owners to create life, settlement and preservation. Use is the best protection, so we wholeheartedly support this project.
Lys i gamle hus is now working with five pilot municipalities: Sør-Aurdal, Kvitsøy, Heim, Vinje and Rollag. Together with the municipalities, the National Trust of Norway has initiated measures and activities to promote housing, building preservation and climate challenges, skills development and knowledge sharing in collaboration with local project staff.
- "It's particularly exciting that the National Trust of Norway has engaged researchers from Ruralis to follow the project," says Geiran, "which ensures good documentation and assessment of the work. At the same time, the project has achieved good cooperation between volunteers, private actors and public administration, and they have entered into a partnership with the Norwegian State Housing Bank to test new housing concepts.
The project has previously received grants from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, with 500,000 in 2021 and 800,000 in 2022.
This is the National Heritage Board's commitment to value creation:
Value creation in cultural environments is a grant scheme from the national budget. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage aims for the value creation projects to be good examples of the role of cultural environments in social development. Value creation is an important tool in the work on the new conservation strategies.
The Directorate for Cultural Heritage will facilitate good projects for business based on cultural environments, rural development and restructuring in local communities. Cooperation with the Sami Parliament, county councils and national partners is central to the initiative, and will strengthen knowledge development, learning and dissemination.
