Holvikejekta
Holvikejekta is Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History’s largest and most unique item, and was the first item in the museum’s collection when it was founded by the Nordfjord History Society in 1915.
A jekt is a small wide sailing vessel which has a mast with a mainsail, without a fixed deck. It has a tall bow and a transom stern, where there is often a room with one or two windows.
Holvikejekta was built in 1881 at Krånafjøra in Sandane by brothers Jakob and Andreas Apalset. The blacksmith work was done by Elias Andenes. The jekt is 20 meters long and 8.6 meters wide. The mast was 26.5 meters tall and the mainsail yard measured 14 meters.
The conservation and exhibition building is located where Holvikejekta was brought ashore at Øyrane in 1906. After resting there for 117 years, Holvikejekta was finally moved, and work on the foundation could commence in the fall of 2023.
Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History
Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History is a regional museum for Nordfjord, and is located at Sandane in Gloppen municipality. The museum was founded in 1915, and opened to the public in 1920.
At Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History you can learn about the history of the region. The open-air museum has 44 historical buildings, several of which are furnished, showing life in the region from the 1500s to the 1960s. All buildings have been relocated from villages around Nordfjord.
Indoors there are both permanent and alternating cultural history exhibitions. The museum has over 20,000 objects in storage, and there is always one or more current exhibitions. The main building also has a small café and a gift shop.
Museums in Sogn og Fjordane
In 2009, Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History became part of the consolidated Museums in Sogn og Fjordane (MISF) foundation. The Nordfjord Museum of Cultural History Board has transferred their professional, administrative and economic responsibilities to MISF. The museum still receives its funding from state, county municipality and municipality grants, in addition to commercial income.
The building project
Work on a conservation and exhibition building has been ongoing since 2013. From 2018 to 2020, the museum prepared a condition and measures report, prospectus and technical construction report. In 2021, the project was fully financed and construction began in 2024. The budget is around 40 million NOK, with financing shared between the state, county and municipality. In addition, a public campaign has provided valuable contributions.
The architect behind the building is Ola Sendstad, the lead contractor is Veidekke, and Øyvind Tåsåsen from Museums in Sogn og Fjordane is the project manager.