The oldest tavern in Sogn! Glaværstova is an old tavern which was previously located on the island of Søre Glavær in Gulen, most likely since the start of the 1800s. This was the closest jekt harbour for those arriving across Sognesjøen form the north. It was called “Bondestova” (Farmer’s Lodge), and this is also the name written just above the entrance. The tavern arrived at the museum in 1930.
Originally, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History purchased the tavern from the owner at the time, Gulen Sparebank, but in “the spirit of benevolence”, as it says in the museum’s 1930 annual report, the bill of sale was transferred to The Heiberg Collection.
Gulen Sparebank was also kind enough to lower the asking price from 800 to 500 NOK.
The museum considered the house to be of great cultural-historical interest. The lodge consists of a large room with a bar counter and a small serving area in the back, which can be closed off with a hatch. From about 1840, the counter and back room were also used as a small general store.
There are stairs leading up to a loft, which acts as a dormitory furnished with small booths where guests could sleep – most likely when they became too intoxicated. There is also a kitchen with its own entrance and a large cooking pit with a chimney. The tavern was most likely built during the first decade of the 1800s, and according to Gulen records, it was initially called “Klokkarstua”. It was rebuilt in 1830 and 1868, eventually reaching its current state and look. It was then given the name “Skjenkestuen”.
Looking at photos from Glavær, before it was moved, the tavern used to have an extension, most likely containing fuel storage and an outhouse. This might have been added during the last refurbishment, but since it was never moved, we don’t know much about the interior.
Glaværstova was moved to the museum in Amla in the autumn of 1930, and was then rebuilt at the open-air museum.
At Amla, Glaværstova housed the museum café for a number of years.
When the museum was relocated from Amla to Vestreim, Glaværstova was left behind. It wasn’t moved until 2005, and then to the Sogn Fjord Museum by the old Kaupanger ferry dock, rather than to the Vestreim site. Thematically, the old tavern is a natural fit with the Sogn Fjord Museum’s collections, and remains an important part of the museum’s maritime community.