People have long occupied the site of modern Egersund, with archeological evidence suggesting that the first people arrived sometime in the Stone Age. More permanent settlements eventually began to appear during the Middle Ages, as historical records have cited the presence of various churches throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. Nevertheless, Egersund itself finally came into existence when government officials granted several local families the right to establish a market town in the late 18th century. The settlement was meant to function as a small kind of Norwegian seaport known “ladested.” Ladesteds like Egersund held certain legal rights that granted resident merchants the ability to monopolize trade passing through the area. Egersund thus emerged as a prosperous community over the following decades that was capable of hosting its own official customs office. Other industries soon developed as a result of the commercial activity, such as shipping and fishing. In fact, many herring fisheries gradually populated the shoreline of Egersund, which employed generations of Norwegian fishers! While Egersund is no longer a major seaport today, it has since become a wonderful tourist destination for contemporary cultural heritage travelers. Egersund is home to several outstanding cultural sites, including a row of renowned historic wooden houses that line its famous Strandgarten street. The community is just a short distance from even more celebrated attractions, too, including the gorgeous island of Eigerøya and the UNESCO-recognized Magma Geopark.  

Egersund is also located right in the heart of historic Western Norway. Its most well-known historical era coincided with the rise of the Vikings—a seafaring people active throughout Europe during the Middles Ages. Technological innovations in Norway’s western counties effectively increased local agricultural activity, and thus the size of its population. New land to distribute became increasingly rare, forcing the inhabitants to look to the sea for opportunity. Using a uniquely slim, single-mast vessel known now as the “Scandinavian longship,” hundreds of people subsequently departed Western Norway to distant destinations. One common practice of the Vikings was to raid the shoreline of Europe for resources. Some of those warriors succeeded in carving out feudal fiefdoms—including powerful kingdoms—within the areas they conquered. But many others peacefully interacted with different European societies, establishing trading posts all over the continent. The Vikings were even known to harbor merchant colonies as far away as central Russia and the Middle East. A few adventurous bands of Vikings also sailed for long distances to remote landmasses like Iceland and Greenland, which they settled starting in the 10th century. In fact, modern archeological evidence has revealed that the Vikings managed to colonize Newfoundland, calling the location “Vinland” in contemporary accounts.     

While the age of the Vikings has long since ended, many sites around Western Norway still preserve the rich history that they left behind. One of the most enduring landmarks to this heritage site is the medieval Urnes Stave Church, located at the end of the Sognefjord. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Urnes Stave Church was first built during the 12th century. Many scholars believe the building is among the best surviving examples of Viking culture, especially as it evolved throughout the High Middle Ages. (The church is still occasionally used for special events, although it stopped providing regular services in the 19th century.) Nevertheless, modern Western Norway is also a popular tourist attraction due to its wealth of natural wonders. Indeed, the region is widely celebrated for its fjords—long, deep waterways that receding masses of ice cut into the earth eons ago. Known for their beauty, the fjords are the region’s most enduring physical feature. The United Nations has even identified two of the largest fjords in the area—Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord—as one if its highly respected UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In fact, the head of the awe-inspiring Geirangerfjord lies right next to the village of Gieranger! Guests today can access this beautiful natural wonder from the Hotel Union Gieranger, which is replete with many terrific places to go hiking and sightseeing. Perhaps one of the most popular destinations within the greater Geirangerfjord are two collections of waterfalls known as the “Seven Sister Falls” and the “Suitor.” 

Grand Hotel Egersund displays a wonderful blend of Norwegian vernacular motifs today. Norwegian vernacular building themes—referred to colloquially as “byggeskikk”—specifically drew inspiration from generational construction techniques that harkened back centuries. Until the onset of the 20th century, most structures throughout Norway were agricultural in nature. They typically resided deep in the wilderness and made use of whatever resources were available. Norwegian families thus developed hardy log cabins that were tightly latched together with corner notches to protect against the elements. Those houses also featured rustic architectural designs inside, including open-hearth fireplaces and stone chimneys. However, a few communal structures spawned more eloquent designs, such as the iconic medieval “stave church.” Stave churches were typically designed using a type of wooden timber framing known as “post and lintel” construction, in which widely spaced vertical posts supported horizontal ones. Steeply pitched roofs reinforced by several intricately laid beams further characterized the overall design of the stave churches. Prominent dormers and steeple towers occasionally crowned the structures, too, in a manner reminiscent of more conventional Romanesque-style churches seen elsewhere throughout Europe. Great portals even guided visitors into the interior, which instilled a sense of awe with a variety of rich ornamentation connected to Norse iconography and the local alpine landscape. Some of the symbols employed drew upon ancient motifs centered around dragons and serpents. (Perhaps the greatest example of a surviving Norwegian stave church is the UNESCO-recognized Urnes Stave Church.)  
 

Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway 

Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway (1905 – 1938) 

Queen Sonja of Norway (1991 – present)  

King Haakon VII of Norway (1905 – 1957) 

King Olav V of Norway (1957 – 1991) 

King Harald V of Norway (1991 – present)