Jump to maincontent

The history of Blokkodden

The idea of preserving the forest dwellings in the municipal of Engerdal was the first step in establishing Blokkodden Wilderness Museum.

The idea had its origin among the people who worked in Femund Skogforvaltning (Femund Forest Management) in the 1970s. The Office of culture in Engerdal contacted the Norwegian Forest Museum. A part of Blokkodden, south of Drevsjø, was appointed as the place to gather the forest cabins. Blokkodden is a peninsula in Lake Drevsjø, the lake that has given the name to the village. Femund Skogforvaltning donated the land and collected buildings and artefacts. In 1981 the Trysil-Engerdal Museum Center was established, and led by conservator Kåre Sveen, the area at Blokkodden was developed into a museum devoted to the natural conditions for life in Engerdal. The climate, the soil and the height above sea level makes this part of Norway one of the most challenging places to strive in the country.    

An important task the new museum was assigned was to document the existing use of the uncultivated land, which was particularly common in the northern parts of the municipal. The uncultivated land is mostly wilderness, and that is exactly what the locals call it. Because the museum chose to focus on these aspects, it got the name Wilderness Museum.    

Blokkodden Wilderness Museum preserves houses and compounds, artefacts and cultural memories connected to farming, forestry, hunting and fishing. Also the Sami culture and productiveness is given a lot of space. Because Blokkodden is an area connected to Rørosverket (the Røros copper plant), this part of Engerdal’s history is also present at the museum. This is especially evident in the museum’s newest additions, the Fairytale Forest and the Blokkodden troll.   

Blokkodden was opened in 1984. Because of the cooperation with Elgå Reinbeitedistrikt (Elgå Reindeer pasture district), the museum was nominated to the European Museum Price. Jonas Danielsen and Kåre Sveen representet the museum in London. The museum did not win, but did received a lot of praise.

Museum24:Portal - 2024.03.08
Grunnstilsett-versjon: 1