The wooden gate at Baardseng Gård, opening from the field toward the farm.
About the farm

Established in 1733

Baardseng Gård has been farmed continuously since 1733. The names changed, the families changed, the red barn stayed. This is the farm's record, from the land registers to the newspapers, and what it is today.

Our story

From one horse and six sheep to the farm you see today.

The name comes from the Old Norse man's name Baardr. For a long time the farm was a small holding under the larger estate of Skikstad, written as "Bals Eng" in one 1801 document. In 1733 it entered the records in its own right: an independent farm worked by Lars Ellingsen, with one horse, five cattle and six sheep.

The newspapers have noticed twice. In 1965 Olaf Baardseng received Gudbrandsdalens Husflidsforenings prize for wood carving, after thirty-five years with the axe: birch and alder, animal figures and ale bowls, sold through the husflid shops of Oslo, Hamar and the district. When Anette and Dag bought the farm in 1990, the barn was near collapse; they took it down and rebuilt it with carpenter Nils Haugen and much dugnad, choosing the old tie-stall on purpose, so the barn stayed the way it had always been.

Baardseng Gård at golden hour: a moose in the meadow with the red farm barn and Lake Mjøsa in the background.
Olaf Baardseng carving wood at his workbench at Baardseng Gård
Olaf Baardseng in his workshop
HERITAGE & LINEAGE

The Story of Olaf Baardseng

In the 1930s, inspired by a local handicraft course, Olaf Baardseng picked up a woodcarver's chisel at Baardseng Gård and never put it down. While many practiced woodcarving as a pastime, Olaf made it his life's work, turning blocks of native birch and alder into beautifully sculpted pieces using solely traditional 19th-century hand tools.

Over more than 35 years, his workshop produced everything from charming woodland figures (his signature bears and cute reindeer) to traditional Norwegian beer tankards, furniture, and artistic studies. His dedication to authentic, unhurried handwork earned him the prestigious Gudbrandsdalen Handicraft Association Prize in 1965 and brought his pieces into homes and craft shops across Eastern Norway, from Oslo to Hamar.

Today, that same spirit of quiet mastery, patience, and deep respect for natural materials remains at the heart of our story.

Come and see

The gates are open,
same as ever.

Plan a visit → Getting here