Eidskog: Border History, Hiking Trails and Culture

Eidskog lies at the southern end of the Kongsvinger region. Border history, cultural sites and a variety of trails give this destination several different facets: you can explore technical heritage sites and places of remembrance, or discover the municipality on footpaths and cycling routes. When planning your stay, it is worth considering which themes and routes you would like to focus on.

Border History and Cultural Sites

The Soot Canal is Norway’s oldest canal with locks and is considered a technical heritage site of great national value. As a historic waterway, it connects Lake Skjervangen in Eidskog with Lake Setten in Aurskog-Høland. Here, technical history meets a link between two lakes in different municipalities.

Morokulien is also a symbol of border history. The Peace Monument stands in the middle of the border road between Eidskog in Norway and Eda in Sweden. It was erected in 1914 to mark 100 years of peace between Norway and Sweden. Its location and purpose make the monument a striking place of remembrance for both countries.

The Norwegian Border Guides Museum is located in the old school at Skjølåbråten near Vestmarka in Eidskog Municipality. It documents the lives and work of border guides and couriers during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945. The museum is also the endpoint of the Flyktningeruta, a historic hiking trail that begins at Skullerudstua in Oslo. The history of the occupation and the route through a historic landscape thus meet in one place.

The artwork En dikters bolig stands right next to Eidskog Town Hall. Its interior is decorated; visitors can hear Hans Børli reading his poems in archival recordings. The site brings together the design of the interior and the poet’s voice, heard through the recordings.

Trails Through Eidskog

Vekterveien is 35 kilometres long and runs through Åbogen, Matrand, Skotterud, Magnor, Tobøl and Vestmarka. The route is designated as a recreational area for cycling and hiking. Its length and the sequence of places along the way give you practical points of reference when planning a trip on this route.

Other routes have their own distinctive features. Grensesømmen is a long-distance hiking trail along the Swedish border, alternating between Norway and Sweden. For Glåmdalsleden, a specific section in Eidskog is documented: the first section through the municipality opened on 18 May 2024. Glåmdalsleden is marked with posts. The routes therefore differ in their described characteristics: Vekterveien is outlined by its length and the places along it, Grensesømmen by its cross-border course, and Glåmdalsleden by a dated opening milestone.

Older paths are also part of the local trail network. Three old church paths in Eidskog have been marked and cleared. Kjerkevegen, from Fjeldskogen to Eidskog Church, can be traced back to before 1650. If you are interested in the history of a path, this one links a specific route to a long tradition.

A hiking trail between Børli and Sjøenden passes through the Nygårdsmyrene Nature Reserve. For views, head to Hornkjøltårnet: it stands on Hornkjølberget, the highest point in Eidskog, and offers views in every direction. A marked trail leads from there to Varden, a place that recalls old signal fires. The viewpoint and the signal-fire site are distinct places, although they are connected by this trail.

For another season, information about the ski trails includes, among other things, a network running from Skotterud School to Midtskogseter. This means Eidskog can be associated with winter activities as well as hiking and cycling. Each path and route has its own characteristics, so plan your trip according to the route or the historical and natural features that interest you most.

Magnor and Getting Around

In Magnor, visitors can blow their own glass at Magnor Glassworks. Guided tours follow the glass through the cooling and grinding processes. The complex includes an active glassworks, a design shop and a café. The experience combines a hands-on activity with insights into glassmaking and other places to visit on site.

Eidskog Museum is the municipality’s local history museum, with locations spread throughout the municipality. The local museum experience is therefore not limited to a single location; consider which site is relevant to your stay when planning. For public transport, Eidskog’s travel information refers visitors to Innlandstrafikk.no for bus timetables and routes, and to Vy.no for train timetables. These resources can help you plan your journey.

Discover more destinations: Kongsvinger, Stange, Ringsaker, Alvdal, Os, Tolga, Stor-Elvdal.

Back to the main travel overview: Hedmark.