How long is Vågarunden?
Vågarunden is an easy stroll of about 45 minutes.
How do I get to Vågarunden?
Follow R.v 13 to Hjelmeland. Take the 1st exit onto Fv 660, then over Hjelmeland bridge. Park at the town hall in Vågen.
When is the season for Vågarunden?
You can walk the route all year round.
Tour description
Start at the quay in Hjelmelandsvågen and walk north along the harbour to Bankhuset. Hjelmeland Sparebank was founded here in 1907, and the bank was based here for many years. Today it is a private residence.
From the Bank House, walk along Gamlevegen between beautiful small houses and up the narrow Sæbøstien path before following Burmavegen to Spinneriet. Inside the Spinneriet hangs the blue sign that tells the story of the blacksmith in Hjelmeland, Georg Fjellberg. He was arrested by the Germans during the war for hiding weapons, but the poem ‘Smeden i Hjelmeland’ by Leif S Rode lives on.
At Spinneriet you'll find the signs Spinneriet and Vikingskatten på Sæbø. The Spinneriet is an old industrial building that is now used for cultural purposes. The Viking treasure is the six silver necklaces that were found at Sæbø in 1769 and sent to the king in Copenhagen. Today, five of the rings are back in the county, at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger.
From Spinneriet you walk along the river, over the footbridge, up the stone steps and over to Hjelmeland Church from 1858. Johan Gottlieb Thaulow, the great-great-grandfather of former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, was parish priest here when the church was built.
From the church you continue to the bank, where Hjelmeland Sparebank is located today. The new building was erected in the 1980s. The old heradstova can be found on the lower side of the county road near the restaurant Smaken av Ryfylke. Gamle heradstova is the municipality's oldest school building from 1847. It was also used as a town hall and the herad board (municipal council) held meetings here. The stone slabs on the roof are laid in a way that is typical of our district.
From Gamle heradstova, walk down to the fjord and follow the seafront promenade back towards the footbridge and the town hall. This is where you'll find the world's largest chair.
On the town hall wall facing the river you will find the blue signs Fyrste bedehuset i Norge and Storflaumen. The first prayer centre in Norway was built in 1840, and was called ‘Samlingsstova’. At that time, the church also stood in this area. The prayer house barely had time to celebrate its 100th anniversary before it was washed into the fjord in late autumn 1940 in a terrible flood that took with it the bridge, houses and parts of the old cemetery. Fortunately, no lives were lost.
At the front door of the town hall you'll find the blue sign Kommunehuset, which tells you about the construction of the town hall just before the major municipal merger in the 1960s.
Now you're back where you started. The last sign, Enigheds Kobberværk, is posted on the wall of Vågahuset. Enigheds Kobberværk was an industrial enterprise in the second half of the 18th century, where copper ore was extracted from Lysefjorden and Vats and smelted into copper at the smelting works then located in Vågen.
With the exception of a couple of ‘shortcuts’ (from sign 1 to sign 2 and the staircase between sign 3 and sign 4), the tour is universally designed. You can avoid these by following other paved routes.