A Family is trying to live like people did in the 1800s to learn how to protect the environment.
In Norway, a family is offering visitors an amazing opportunity to experience a simpler way of life. A throwback to the 19th century, a traditional cabin set in stunning Norwegian fjords. The cabin avoids modern comforts and focuses on an old–fashioned way of living.
The Botnehagen family owns a cabin situated in a beautiful valley. People who stay at this cabin can experience a similar lifestyle, how people lived hundreds of years ago. You can escape the busy, modern world and relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Guests can experience a simple life of cooking their food using a traditional stone oven, you can sleep in an old–fashioned beds, and guest can attempt to spin wool into yarn using a spinning wheel.
The Botnehagen family really cares about keeping the traditions of their family alive and their sharing with other people. They encourage people to live in a way that is better for the environment.
The owners of the cabin, the Botnehagen family, has transformed a historic farmhouse into a unique retreat.
The owner, Reidunn Botnehagen, spent a year researching 19th-century Norwegian life to ensure an authentic experience. She visited historic farms and studied books to recreate the lifestyle of the time.
“Now, as then, the lake provides us with fish, the soil
Gives us fruit and vegetables, our sheep wool,” she explained. “We
Have our own water supply. There is everything you need to survive. The
The difference is that today having these things is considered privileged. Back
Then it was a basic right.”
Botnehagen mother said, “There was never much money around, but people didn’t
Normally gauge wealth by money. If you had another commodity – like chickens or
Cows – that showed you were doing OK, as was the case for my parents and theirs
Before them. I remember regularly travelling by horse as a girl, loaded up with
Eggs to take to town and exchange for whatever our family required. In our case
It was usually flour.”
Today, the amount of food is wasted globally. “There was greater efficiency in many ways,” she said. “There were less intermediaries: if you wanted something done you
Did it yourself. Most of it could be done within sight of your house. A
Husmannshus would be sized similarly to this one – 38sq m – but might
Accommodate six, seven, and eight residents. That is one lot of timber to fell for
The cabin, one fire keeping everyone warm. Today the same number of people
Might have four houses and run eight vehicles, but just because we can do things
Differently now doesn’t mean we should – not for the health of the planet
Anyway.”
Kari Sand, the former regional business developer who helped
Botnehagen develops the Haukali 333 project, agrees. “Living in a farmhouse
Like Haukali 333 will give guests thoughts about the past and make the
Comparison: the differences in consumption, how much we use and throw away now,
Whether we need it all. By living like this, it makes us think about how much
The electricity we use, and how many clothes – many of us have a cupboard full! Is
This how we want to live?”
Botnehagen continues, “If you fish for your dinner or chop wood for your
Fire,” she said, “appreciation for nature increases. Appreciating
Your environment and feeling invested in it are vital factors in tackling
Climate change.”
“If we don’t take the wisdom from the past with
Us,” she added, “in the future we will be poorer.”
She believes that by embracing a simpler, more traditional lifestyle, guests are actively contributing to a more sustainable future. By doing things like fishing, gathering firewood, and gardening, guests are connecting with nature and appreciating the value of resources.
“Sometimes you just want to shut off your phone, move to a cabin in the woods, and enjoy the moment with nature.”
