Stabbur

Many Norwegian houses we saw, had a beautiful large shed like building on the property. We asked about this and were told they were generally (but not all the time) modern built 'stabburs' a building that was built off the ground so that air could circulate under it. They always became wider as they got taller and were never given a reason for this. Sometimes in beautiful graceful curving arcs. In this photo it is very squarish. It was where they stored their meat and other things that they wanted to keep cold. Now days, they are used as a guest room, a shed or anything Norwegians want to use them for, they are just more comfortable having a stabbur on the property, many much more intricately designed than the house itself.

This stabbur is in the Norwegian Folk Museum which has buildings from ancient huts to the beautiful Stavkirke's that dot the country side (Stave Church). More on our 'Stavkirke Pilgrimage' later. This one resides next to a Stavkirke that has been moved to the Folk Museum from it's original place which now has a replica - and is on our drive to the beginning of our "Norway in a Nutshell" tour from Oslo.