Discover Gjerstad
Accommodation in Gjerstad
Gjerstad combines forested hills with a varied local and industrial history. During your stay, you can choose between marked summer hiking trails, the facilities at Vestølheia ski arena and historical sights. These different highlights give you a clear guide when deciding which experiences you want to shape your trip.
Forested hills and marked trails
Most of Gjerstad’s landscape consists of forested hills. The highest areas lie in the northwest; Marishei, at 572 m above sea level, is the highest point. These elevations and the forest landscape shape the character of the municipality. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, Gjerstad has about 124 km of marked summer hiking trails.
The municipality has produced hiking maps for four areas: Brokelandsheia–Klavfjell, Sunde–Fossen, Gjerstad–Mesel and Kleivvann–Vestøl. This makes it easy to organise your hiking plans by area. Gjerstadskogane also has a well-developed network of marked trails, with access to hunting and fishing. This trail network is used throughout the region, from Vest-Agder to Telemark/Vestfold. Hiking is one part of what’s on offer; hunting and fishing are other explicitly mentioned activities in Gjerstadskogane.
Industrial history and local culture
Eikelands verk tells the story of Gjerstad’s industrial history: the ironworks received its privileges in 1706 and began operations in 1707. Today, Eikelands verk is a cultural heritage site of national importance. Visitors can see the remains of the ironworks and the wider industrial community that grew up around it. Those interested in how a place developed will find more than a single works here: they can also discover the industrial community that formed around it.
Holmen Gård is also part of local cultural history. In many ways, the farm has become the municipality’s cultural centre and plays an important role in communicating its history. Almuestaua was completed in 1896 and is listed in the SEFRAK register. Together with Eikelands verk, these places offer different ways to explore Gjerstad’s history: the industrial community around an ironworks on the one hand, and a cultural centre and historic building on the other.
Gjerstad kirke is a Neo-Gothic long church, completed in 1848 and designed by Christian Henrik Grosch. The area around the church is the official millennium site of Gjerstad municipality and is also known as Niels Henrik Abels Plass. Abelstien, marked with information boards, runs between Gjerstad kirke and Gjerstad prestegård. The trail was created in 2002 to mark the 200th birthday of Nils Henrik Abel. The church, square and trail offer different points of interest for travellers interested in architecture and local history.
Weigh up hiking and sports interests
Vestølheia ski arena has ski trails, a biathlon facility, a floodlit trail and a roller-ski track. These facilities cater to different interests: the offering includes ski trails, biathlon and roller skiing, as well as the floodlit trail. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first consider whether your trip will focus mainly on summer hikes, the facilities at Vestølheia, or the cultural and historical sights.
Getting here and other places
Gjerstad has a railway station, and the European route E18 also runs through the municipality. The station and road are two different options to consider when planning your journey. When looking for accommodation, you can take this into account alongside your interests in hiking and culture, and plan your trip around what matters most to you.
For more ideas in Gjerstad, you can also discover Eikeland and Sundebru.
For the wider travel overview: Aust-Agder.
More destinations
More places within the same destination:
