THE GROWTH OF VENABU

In 1944 Birgit and I began to plan the building of a mountain lodge (fjellstue) somewhere in the valley of Gudbrandsdalen. Birgit was a qualified architect and started to draw up plans as to how such a place would be built and added to. I knew the mountain plateau called Venabygdsfjellet from a previous visit before the war and asked advice from Hagen, the administrative official in Ringebu as to where land was available for building. I came in contact with several land owners and it seemed that an area around Trabelia was most feasable. Trygve Wadahl, a friend of mine who owned a hotel on the other side of the valley, also inspected the area but found problems with the site in that the drainage from such a building would threaten the very water source that was needed for drinking.

The next site was located on the ridge of Buhaugen and owned by Pål Aspen Ødegård from Venabygd. 150 metres north of the site lay a small lake. The view in all directions was without equal with the jagged peaks of Rondane in the north and the peaks of the plateau all around, with Trabelia in front of Venabygd. The fishing river of Friska lay just 500-600 metres below the site and between that was a flat, relatively dry, open area of about 75 acres. By the side of this area there were three working summer farms. All parties agreed that the site was suitable as far as water and drainage were concerned, the former to the north and the latter to the south of the ridge.
The deciding factor was that road 131 over the mountains between Gudbransdalen and Østerdalen (the two major valleys of Eastern Norway) passed just a few hundred metres from the site. I guessed that sooner or later this would become a major road, open all year round. Also, the terrain offered perfect opportunities for footpaths and ski trails. Myfallet, with its 120 metre fall, could be reached in under an hours walk. My friend and advisor, Trygve Wadahl, knew well many of the problems involved in such a project. It was almost impossible to get hold of building materials after the war but we had agreed to take over a log building at Midtvoll in Gausdal (West of Lillehammer).

On the 17th May 1947, Birgit and I left with our Volkswagen DKW til Venabygdsfjellet, having left Lars with his grandmother in Vingrom. We found that the site was perfect for our plans and called the site Muin. We took further contact with the land owner the same day, drew up a contract and decided a date for formal possession. We stayed the night at Furusæter-salet, to which we had borrowed the key and the next day we left for Gausdal. Here we sorted out the deal for buying "Raubygningen". This building consisted of two full floors with a total floor space of 140 square metres, built in 1732. We began an exact measurement of the building and planned the marking of the logs. Birgit noted all the necessary measurements and sketches for the pulling down of the building.
I had already been in contact with Gjermund Hovde i Venabygd and we began to disassemble Raubygningen with its natural slate roof and exterior panel. We ate and lived på Midtvoll and bathed in the river Gausa which flowed just below. We worked long and hard days in fine spring weather and it took us two weeks to bring down the whole building. The house was very high at the apex of the gable end and we made a chute to send down the slates from the roof. I stood on the roof to pull up the chute. One time the rope broke and I fell head over heels down the roof. Fortunately, I had tied myself to the chimney and the rope stopped my fall before I left the roof. Fortunately, there were few such incidents but it was no easy job to take such a large building down without damaging the timbers which were to be set up again as our mountain lodge.
As soon as the job was finished at Midtvoll we left for the mountains where the foundation work had already started. I had earlier agreed with several local craftsmen under the leadership of Mathias Østensen, to prepare the site and lay the foundation wall. As soon as the formwork was removed we began to set up Raubygningen again. Alongside me were Ludvig Lunde, John Kirkeby, Kristian Pynten og Gjermund Hovde. By the end of October the roof was once again in place.
I had hired the cabin "Lynnbua" at Friskedal summer farm and Birgit, Lars and I moved there from June 1947 until the end of September. 1947 was an unusually dry summer with several months of sunshine. In Friska it was pleasant with good vegetation. Milkmaid at the farm was Borghild Rudihagen and her husband was shepherd in the mountains that summer and lived at Ramshytta, visiting us now and again. We had to collect water from the river 100 metres away and it was here also that Borghild carried the milk to keep it cooled before the milk lorry came and collected it.
Financial constraints had made us sell the car and it was useful to have the milk collection every day for essential transport; also useful were our bicycles. There were a lot of bilberries and wild raspberries in Friska and Birgit plucked berries every day and served them with fresh milk when I came down to eat. We worked 8 hour days with an hour for lunch between 11 and 12. We took an odd "5 minutes" in between times. I never took a packed lunch but instead preferred to run down to Friska to be with Birgit and Lars. It was sometimes heavy legwork to climb back up to the site, which by now we had renamed Venabu.
One time there was an angry bull loose around the summer farm which scared Birgit and Lars with its charging, especially when collecting water. I had several fights with the bull keeping myself amongst the stones and whipping it but it did little to help. It was also keen to follow the cows into the milking sheds which also caused Borghild some problems. Eventually it was collected and returned to the farm in the valley.

By now I had used up all of our money including a loan of NoK 12000,- from Trygve Wadahl. I got myself a job as barkeeper on M/S Bretagne, a Fred Olsen Line ship ferrying between England and Norway. Birgit and our first child Lars, born 1945, stayed at her parents during the winter when I was away. I quit my work on board the ferry as it was very impractical not to be living in Oslo if I was to continue working on our plans for Venabu including working with Birgit on the architectural drawings, sending them to the right departments as well as sorting out some finances. I was promised some economic support from director Rørholt in KNA (Norwegian RAC) as they were looking for accommodation in Gudbrandsdalen and our plans seemed to fit the bill. It was an intensive period, first and foremost trying to find a place for the three of us to live as well as find some suitable employment that the family could live on. The architectural drawings were some work for Birgit under these circumstances but these were done in record time including written descriptions in the autumn of 1948. In a small room with a small table, Lars playing in the bath, Birgit managed to produce all the necessary drawings. I pulled out a clothes draw and set up my portable typewriter, sat on the edge of the bed and wrote and re-wrote all the paperwork including descriptions, application forms, contracts as well as lists over all the things to be included in the kitchen, lounges, dining room and the bedrooms. Birgit drew plans for the tables and the benches and I received prices from carpenters Bergli in Ringebu, window prices from Klophus in Gausdal and door prices from Einar Åsen in Ringebu. Everything had to be priced down to the tiniest detail and it all had to be agreed with the carpenters and the builders. This was one of the conditions for full financing. In order for KNA to be involved, their chief architect Nordan and Robert Major had to look at the site and the work already done. This was also done in the autumn of 1948 after the first snow had fallen. By the New year all agreements and financing were achieved and it was time to plan moving once again.

On the 2nd May we moved in with my mother in Vingrom. I continued up to Venabu to begin on site planning of the building project. Building contractor Konrad Risstubben with up to 12 men finished the building work in the space of 6 months. Everything went according to plan and many of these original builders helped with some of the later extensions.
The water pipes were their own special problem. We had first to dig a well by the lake and thereafter dig 150 metres of pipe work up to the building at a depth to ensure that it would remain free from freezing all year round. In the loft of the building I installed a 2000 litre tank which i got free from ESSO. Both the weight of the tank full of water and the 12 metre height difference demanded something special but the problems were solved with the help of plumber Haug. This system worked very well for the next 12 years with daily filling and maintenance. Sometimes I didn't manage to fill the tank in time and then there came a shout of "No water" from the kitchen. Then I had no choice but to run down immediately to the pump house and start the pump. When Lars was about 7 or 8 tears old he could stop the pump by himself but to set it going was heavy work. It was first in 1962 that Venabu had electricity and a whole new existence


During the early years we had to survive without electricity. We used wood ovens for heating, paraffin lamps and candles. A coke fired water heater, plumbing and sauna followed soon after. The lack of telephone was the greatest problem during the first winter and I contacted colonel Anton B. Nielsen at the army's communication school who arranged a temporary line from the nearest connection 9 kilometres away. Another large problem was that the nearest road was 9 kilometres away in winter. Gausdal bus company had a snowmobile and helped us with heavy transport throughout the first winter. Most of the guests had therefore to arrive on skis with a rucksack on their back. Goods were pulled by horse and sleigh as far as Trabelia and together with a good dog I pulled them to Venabu. I also borrowed another pulling dog from Chr. Walter from Fefor. Fortunately I was fit at that time. The following winter, 50/51, together with KNA's help, I bought a military "Weasel" which provided much easier transport of both goods and guests.
On 5th March 1950, a group of 20 Swedish youths were supposed to be transported by snowmobile from Trabelia. There were gale force winds blowing from the North and when they did not arrive in time I put on my skis and set off to look for them. The wind was so strong that I was blown the two kilometres up Langbakken. I found the snowmobile stuck in a drift by Furusæter summer farm with the group of 20 Swedish inside packed like pickled herrings. I commanded them all out into the gale and together we managed to push the snowmobile back a little before forcing it over the drift. The Swedish group took it all in good humour even though some of them were freezing cold. The Holmenkollen race in Oslo was cancelled that day, also due to wind.

One day the same group were out skiing over Dynjefjellet. They climbed a very steep side of the mountain. Just as the last man had reached the summit, an avalanche began close to them. On their return they mentioned this almost in passing when describing their trip. I skied the three kilometres to look at the sight. At the bottom of the avalanche were enormous snow blocks pressed against the small birches. I estimated some of their weight at about a ton. This had such a dramatic impact on me that I have always had avalanche danger on my mind every winter since.


Einar was born on 13th January 1950 and Birgit came up to Venabu on the 25th. She went straight into the kitchen and began making food with the minimum of equipment that was in the kitchen. A large wood burning stove was just about all she had. Birgit, as well as being an architect had always been interested in cooking and she took making food for 20 people in her stride - as long as there was dry wood for the stove and water in the taps!! During the first winter we had some kitchen help but the rest we managed ourselves. We had a crisis moment in March when Birgit had breast pains but she held on throughout the season and Einar caused few problems. Several times I had to put on my skis to go and get fresh milk. It was impossible to get hold of a doctor in the mountains but at that time we had a doctor as a guest who gave Birgit some medicine he had. The doctor said that Birgit was a courageous woman.
Well, we had started, and realised our dream of running our own place. With KNA's help we had our own weasel in 1951, in later years a snowmobile. An annexe with 7 bedrooms came in the early 50's along with a private house for us. In 1958 we added 5 more bedrooms to the main building as well as an extension to the dining room, a permanent telephone line and a diesel driven electric aggregate. In 1962 Venabu was connected up to the electricity grid with a line from Venabygd. A couple of years later we added a further 22 bedrooms, 10 of which had shower and toilet. Birgit was responsible for all the architectural side and I wrote all the descriptions as a basis to receive price estimates.
KNA's director Arnold Rørholt and later director Oscar M. Bade's support throughout was a major factor in Venabu's growth. We also had support from KNA's president Fritjof Lind and Bjørn Romnæs at KNA. At the end of the 50's, KNA bought land around Venabu totalling 50 acres which was later passed on to Birgit and myself when we overtook full control. Our lawyer Vincent Galtung was also of great help. Lars took over the daily running of the hotel in 1976 after building the west wing. In 1982 Birgit and I stepped aside and Lars and Line took over the hotel. Lars became director with 2/3 of the shares and Line daily manager of the hotel after having studied hotel management. Line is also responsible for the stables with 8 horses, hiring in another 8 for the summer season. Our second son, Einar, studied at the university in Oslo and now has his own data processing company in Lillehammer. Our third son, Paul, also studied at the hotel management school and after further university studies is now head of department, teaching economics in Hamar.

Arvid Tvete
13th April 1997