Fosnavåg - Leikong roadtrip

It’s like an elegant, giant tiara in concrete, soaring high and free through the air. The longest stretch is 170 metres, and with 32 metres of sail height, even large ships can pass underneath. It is this concrete structure that is referred to as Herøybrua, but in folklore the name also refers to the almost 2.5-kilometre long stretch of bridges, rock fills and the road that cuts through islets and reefs. This could be because the this area in itself constitutes a bridge to the inner and outer parts of the municipality, a bridge that meant that the vast majority of the inhabitants had ferry-free movements in between the neighbouring communities. But this particular bridge belongs to a new era. Now we can only reminisce about endless ferry queues, and the old ferry so packed that the cars hung over the edge. And while we're at it, lets not forget the little kiosk with Alf the friendly ticket man who sold us paper tickets, or the local party in 1976, when King Olav opened the bridge, and the helicopter he arrived in made the red carpet float into the sky. But Herøybrua is not there for reminiscing. It marked a crucial step into the future for people in Havlandet.

The island of Herøy was a Church town, but the brutal truth was that the churchyard had so little earth, that the coffins were not buried deep enough. The smell in the summer was downright nasty. And in the end the Priest moved to Raftenes in Stokksund. The vicarage at Raftenes has had several famous occupants. One of them was Magdalene Thorsen. Later, she and her husband moved to Bergen, there Magdalene became a renowned author. She moved in circles where she was surrounded by people such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Henrik Ibsen. In fact Magdalene was Ibsen’s mother-in-law, and Ibsen’s wife Suzannah also grew up in Herøy. Some have even claimed that meeting the stong fisherwomen of Havlandet inspired Magdelene a great deal, and that it was she who pursuaded Henrik Ibsen to write the suprise ending of «A Doll’s house», when Nora went against her husband Helmer in violation of 19th century etiquette. Maybe it is just a good story, but the fact that Havlandet raised strong and independent women who managed the work and family life on land whilst their husbands were at sea is completely true. Here at the vicarage, Ivar Aasen also came to visit the Thoresen family, to receive teacher training. It is no wonder therefore, that the people of Herøy recognise themselves in the song «Between hills and mountains and out to sea» which has been voted Norway’s second National Song.

The fjord is long and the church road was tiring, for those who sailed in on open boats with oars and sails. It was therefore preferable to build a church in the home village. This was the case on Leikong beyond the 19th century, and when they heard that a new church was to be built in Ørskog north of Ålesund, the people of Leikong seized the chance. They bought the old church in Ørskog, and moved it with the help of volunteers. Despite the volunteer’s efforts to raise money, it was not cheap to obtain a church. What consultation they took with the Lord is unknown, but the story in the book ‘Churches of Sunmøre’ tells that two fishing crews in the village were very lucky with their herring haul. This earned them great fortune, and the villagers feasted and the money for the church was in place. The church is over 200 years old, a small and beautiful octaganal wooden church with blue walls, colourful paintings, and several tablets and carvings. The Altarpiece is from the 17th century and is a masterpiece of Norwegian art from that time.

The island of Herøy has been a gathering point in Havlandet for over a thousand years. And this is how the municipality gained its name. Viking Kings arrived here on the small island with their ships. And the Arch-Bishop came here in the 15th century when Herøy was a great church power in Sunmøre. At that time there was a Court House, and people gathered to attend church and to trade here. Then cars arrived and people moved from the coastal roads inland. Herøy Farm was forgotten, and eventually fell into disrepair. The Borgstova which may have been built in the 14th century, was demolished right after the war. Everything was falling down. Just in the nick of time, the historical society in the municipality took hold of the buildings. Now the yard at the old trading centre of Herøy farm is the centre of the Herøy Coastal Museum. The stately farmhouse, the house by the sea, boathouses and stores, kitchen and potato cellars, tell us about the lively trading centre and the households that lived here. The house and interior were taken care of, but as always in Havlandet the boats always held a special place in the heart and were high on the priority list. A Museum boat team both restore and build traditional open wooden boats. These beautiful creations lie moored like jewels at the Coastal Museum. Together with the Sunmøre Sailing boat ‘Anna Olava.’ The island of Herøy invites you on a walk through a thousand years of history. It is well signposted but feel free to take a tour and become better acquainted with the history and people that have lived on Herøy. In addition to the historical walk there are also good opportunities for nature walks both on the tarmacked path that goes over the island and on the adopted nature trail around the island.

It remains vivid in the memory of those who experienced it. The horror when fire and flames shot up from the roof of the old wooden church. People ran in and out of the church, to try and save the church’s art and whatever else could be salvaged. But those who stood next to the church on that fiery night during the Christmas time of 1998, remember also that the tower of the church dived down in a shower of sparks. Then the people were reminded of the old hymn «The church is an old house, that stands though the towers fall». The church is a building made of living stones, and those living stones set about building a new church house. They raised many millions of kroner from everything from collections and lottery sales to large gifts from private individuals and companies, and just four years after the fire the new Herøy church rose from the ashes. Now you can once again see the church tower rising high over the parish. Inside the tall tower there is a sky light that spills light into the church and it is popular for children and confirmants to challenge themselves by trying thier hand at climbing all the way to the top of the tower.