The old trading post and farmhouse outside Tromsø are now preserved for eternity.
The Director General of Cultural Heritage is listing Nerstua on Tussøy in Tromsø municipality. The listing will be marked on site on Saturday, September 13.
Nerstua was built sometime between 1868 and 1875 by Hans Erik Brox.
"In Norway, we have always lived by and from the sea, and the coast tells an important part of our history. A trading post like Nerstua played an important role back when sea routes were the main transport arteries. It is therefore important to preserve the rich cultural heritage along the coast," says Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.
Abandoned for three decades
Nerstua was in use and inhabited until the 1960s, and was used for trade, recreation, and farming.
After that, the farm stood abandoned for three decades before its current owner, John Hansen, bought it in 1999.
He has since renovated Nerstua, and today uses it as both a vacation home and a center for local history, antique restoration work, and traditional crafts.
"Use is the best protection for cultural heritage and cultural environments! Nerstua is an excellent example of this. The owner has done a fantastic job here and secured this unique cultural heritage site for posterity," says Director General of Cultural Heritage Hanna Geiran.
"This farm bears witness to an important period of extensive trade in Northern Norway. Nerstua has both national and regional conservation value," says Geiran.
"It is important to preserve and utilize the coastal cultural environment as a resource. There are great opportunities in viewing preservation and utilization in context," says Geiran.
Historical dimensions
The preservation order covers both the exterior and interior of the farmhouse, with the exception of the bathroom. This is to safeguard the cultural-historical and architectural values of the site.
The building is a typical example of a northern Norwegian house, which was common in the region in the 19th century. It is well preserved and has undergone very little modernization over the years, giving it a high degree of authenticity.
This makes Nerstua a rare and valuable cultural monument with significant national, regional, and local cultural and historical importance.
Nerstua is also located on an automatically protected farm mound dating back to the Iron Age. This gives the place an extra historical dimension and links the building to a much older settlement history.
The owner himself initiated the preservation order, and the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage received the preservation proposal from Troms County Council earlier this year.
"Nerstua's long and varied history, together with its architecture, make the building unique. In Troms, we have few listed buildings and structures of this type. Troms County Council is therefore delighted that we have gained a new addition to the county's cultural heritage. It is good to know that Nerstua is being well looked after by an owner who wants the best for the building and is continuing the history of the building and the area, says Kristina Torbergsen, County Mayor of Troms.
