Brattholmen: Schoolhouse, Standing Stone and Inn History

Brattholmen can be explored through several traces of its history: the story of the school, a standing stone and the site of a former inn. The subjects range from a stone believed to date from the Iron Age to former ship traffic to Bergen; distinctive architectural styles also contribute to the character of the area. Together, they offer different points of reference for understanding Brattholmen’s history.

School history and a protected cultural heritage site

The old schoolhouse of Brattholmen School still stands opposite the current school, on the other side of the road. The school in the Brattholmen area was built in 1876. Brattholmen School was built using materials from the old church in Fjell. Together, these details tell a story of schooling that includes a surviving building, a specific year of construction and the reuse of building materials.

The automatically protected cultural heritage site in Brattholmen is marked on the zoning map with protection zone H730 and a five-metre-wide safety zone. The zone designation and specified safety strip give the planning designation a precise spatial dimension.

The standing stone and its planned use

The standing stone in Brattholmen is believed to date from the Iron Age; its inscription is from a later period. In the plans, it is located in a designated outdoor recreation area, where it can be used as a resource. Its historical classification and planned use are two distinct aspects of the same stone: the first describes its traditionally assigned period, while the second concerns its potential role in the planned area.

An old main building by the sea

The old main building in Brattholmen is easy to recognise from the sea: its exterior in the Swiss style, dating from around the turn of the century, its tower and the carved dragon heads on the gables. The façade, tower and gable decorations offer different clues for describing the building. Those interested in architecture can connect a distinctive façade with striking details here.

Inn, harbour and trade

The old inn site in Brattholmen was probably established in the first half of the 18th century. Its location can be explained by a harbour that was very suitable for ships travelling to and from Bergen. In calm weather, or when wind and currents prevented further progress, the harbour provided a suitable place for ships unable to continue their journey.

Later, the site developed into a central trading post with a steamship stop, as long as that pattern of transport continued. The inn site also included a boathouse with a distillery. The area’s history therefore covers several phases: the presumed establishment of the inn, the harbour’s importance to ships travelling to and from Bergen, and the later trade and steamship traffic.

More things to explore in Øygarden

In the wider destination of Øygarden, the North Sea Traffic Museum in Telavåg offers a distinct historical focus. Its exhibitions cover the Telavåg tragedy, the coastal resistance movement and the escape route across the North Sea to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. The North Sea Traffic Exhibition also includes a 25-minute film about the Telavåg tragedy. These subjects provide a different historical focus from Brattholmen’s school, standing stone and inn history.

Walking routes in the wider destination of Øygarden also offer practical options for planning. The Seløy–Gløvrebu route follows a marked, gently undulating path and offers views of the sea, islets and skerries. At Gløvrebu, there is a fire pan and small fire pits for visitors taking a break there. The Tjeldstø–Alvheim–Hovden circular route is 9 kilometres long; the walking time is about 3.5 hours. This makes it possible to distinguish between a route description with landscape views and a walk with a specified distance and walking time.

Explore more destinations: Straume, Misje, Ågotnes, Fjell, Foldnes, Kolltveit, Solsvik.

Go to the main travel overview: Fjell.