Maursund gård (Maursund gamle handelssted (the old Maursund trading centre))
Description
This magnificent, whitewashed two-storey farmhouse is today the only building that remains from the golden age of the trading centre at Maursund on the island of Kågen. The site lies to the south-east, under the mighty Kågtinden mountain and by the narrow Maursund sound, which previously constituted the north-south traffic artery along its length.
The trading centre had its heyday in the latter part of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century. There used to be a multitude of buildings here. A fire insurance listing from 1856 shows 26 buildings, large and small. By around the year 1900 many of the buildings had gone. By the time the Second World War started in 1940, all that remained was the large farmhouse, a cowshed/barn, large boathouse, wharf, office and quay. Everything except the farmhouse, which had been given protection in 1942, was burnt down during the German retreat in 1944 – like all the other buildings on the island of Kågen.
The large fembøringsnaust (boathouse for a fembøring, a Nordland boat designed for five pairs of rowers) was reconstructed during the 1990s, after Nord-Troms Museum had taken over responsibility for the site. Today, Maursund Farm operates as a museum and is open to visitors during the summer.
The trading centre had its heyday in the latter part of the eighteenth century and during the nineteenth century. There used to be a multitude of buildings here. A fire insurance listing from 1856 shows 26 buildings, large and small. By around the year 1900 many of the buildings had gone. By the time the Second World War started in 1940, all that remained was the large farmhouse, a cowshed/barn, large boathouse, wharf, office and quay. Everything except the farmhouse, which had been given protection in 1942, was burnt down during the German retreat in 1944 – like all the other buildings on the island of Kågen.
The large fembøringsnaust (boathouse for a fembøring, a Nordland boat designed for five pairs of rowers) was reconstructed during the 1990s, after Nord-Troms Museum had taken over responsibility for the site. Today, Maursund Farm operates as a museum and is open to visitors during the summer.
Year of construction
1775-1800, 1990s
Client
Nils Giæver, Nord-Troms Museum
Building Type
Trading settlement, museum
Construction System / Materials
Woodwork, timber, notched log construction
Keywords
trading settlement
woodwork
museum
timber
cog joint construction
farmhouse
boat house
Literature
Hauge, Tore: “Maursund gård, ei kulturhistorisk perle i Nord-Troms”, in Fortidsvern 3/1997, pp. 11-13.
