Most people know Avaldsnes as a royal residence of Harald Fairhair and other kings we know from the Norse sagas, but Avaldsnes was a royal seat long before the time of Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair was the king who unified Norway into one kingdom. He died around 930. Avaldsnes continued to be a royal residence for Harald’s descendents. Among these kings were Eric Bloodaxe, Håkon the Good, Olav Tryggvason, St. Olav and Håkon Håkonsson.
Take a walk in the landscape that has been the scene of so many historical events. See St Olav's Church, Virgin Mary's Sewing Needle, The Blood Heights and The Five Foolish Virgins.
Nordvegen History Centre tells the story about how Avaldsnes became Norway’s Oldest Royal Seat. Harald Fairhair will present you for princes and kings who ruled the “North way” from Avaldsnes.
Some of these rulers we know from old sagas and skaldic poems. Others have become known to us through archaeological digs.
A Viking Farm is situated a ten minutes’ walk from the St Olav’s Church. You will find it on a small island, just inside the rocks where King Olav Tryggvason drowned a group of wizards 1000 years ago.
In the farmyard you will find a longhouse, a boat house, a roundhouse and several smaller buildings.
In the summer season the Viking Farm is open for tourists. Each Year in June there is a Viking Festival at the Viking Farm.
