From Eyde to Fagerberg - The story of Sandviken

Did you know that the famous engineer Sam Eyde, the founder of Rjukan, owned Sandviken from 1907 to 1915? To this day, it is not known why he bought it. Maybe he wanted a place to holiday? Or maybe he wanted to generate power at Austbydge too? Eyde was one of many owners of Sandviken which was first mentioned in the 17th century. Many tried to make a living here, but the sandy soil was lacking nutrients and the danger of flooding great. It was, fortuitous that Gro and Olav Fagerberg used their savings to buy Sandviken in 1927. Olav was a carpenter and a recognized builder, and they set up sawmill and a planing mill along the banks of Lake Tinnsjøen. Since the demand for timber was high, they made enough to live off. In addition, there was farming, with cattle and potato fields. Their son Nils and his wife Borghild took over the farm in 1950. But shortly after, Nils fell sick and was not able to continue running the sawmill. At the same time tourists began to be interested in this area and began to ask if they could pitch their tents here. Demand increased and Nils and Borghild set up the campground in 1954.