Bietilægården

Bietilægården is a farm from around 1870, with traditions from coastal culture and farming. It was built by Kven immigrants and is made up of a dwelling house, three cowsheds, a quay and a slipway for hauling up boats.

The farm stands in Havnegata in Indrebyen — formerly known as Indre kvenby (the Inner Kven Town), one of three areas of old Vadsø where Kvens and Norwegians lived apart, along with Ytre kvenby and Nordmannsbyen. The first people to live in the house came from Kemi in Finland, but since then several families have lived there at the same time. These families made their living from fishing, farming and carrying goods by boat.

The farm is typical of the architecture that shaped Vadsø before the Second World War. It was listed in 1990 and, after standing empty for many years, it was eventually restored with funding from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage (Riksantikvaren), led by Finnmark County Council.

Vadsø museum uses the farm for its summer activity days for children and families: rowing traditional Nordland boats from the floating pier by the breakwater, log building with the museum’s own log-building kit, and a treasure hunt around the farm. The days are free and there is no need to sign up.

You have now completed the whole walk. We hope you have learnt a lot about the history of Vadsø, and that you will carry on exploring our lovely town.

Part of Vadsø museum

Bietilægården is run by Vadsø museum – Ruija kvenmuseum. Follow the museum’s own channels for the dates of this year’s activity days.