Sannidal Bygdetun

The large sandbank in Western Sannidal was made by the thick glacier that covered Norway about 10,000 years ago. It has given the village the name. It was called in old Norwegian: Sandhaukadalir - the valley with sandbank. The first building development was probably taken place here with the farm Mo as centre. In the 13th century, a small stave church was built and its remainders are now found in the new church built in 1772. In 1949, the farmer at Øvrebø, Thomas Wastøl, gave his ground for collection at forest area on the west from the church. Some old houses are gathered here. Interested residents in Sannidal have given a series of objects throughout years. You can see Hegland House from the farm Østre Hegland. It is a gift from Johanna and Olav J. Nilsen from Mandal. The ground floor is probably built about 1650. Second floor was added in 1750, and the house became typical farmhouse in Sannidal in the 1800s. Interior is from different periods, mostly from the middle of the 1800s. The Storehouse is from the farm Mo, given by Astrid and Jakob Mo. It is probably around 150 years old. The Barn is from Midtgården in Farsjø. It is about 200 years old. Its east side was moved from Ødegården in Farsjø, and was joined together. The Mill House is from Seteren beside Waasjø in Holtane district. This is a gift from Olette and Lars Svendsen. It is about 130 years old and was last used during the war 1940-45. Dobbedal Cottage is from Dobbedalen in Holtane district. It was built in 1854. The interior is from various regions. An old weaving machine is a gift from Per Holt. Barland Cottage is from Barland in Kjølebrønd, given by Jens Barland. It is probably a few hundred years old. Sannidal Bygdetunet is used for festival for people, such as 17th of May and annual "Porridge Festival", which gathers thousand of people. Bygdetunet does not have regular opening hours. For guided tours and information, please contact Ole Wastøl, tel +47 35 99 20 41, or Berg-Kragerø Museum, tel +47 35 98 14 53. Each building in the Bygdetunet has information boards, here you can read about the historie of the buildings.