Ringerike: Cultural History, Pilgrim Paths and Lakes
Accommodation in Ringerike
Ringerike combines a landscape shaped by wooded hills and large lakes with places steeped in cultural history. You may be interested in museums and historic sites, want to explore a marked pilgrim path, or put the lake scenery at the heart of your trip. When choosing your holiday rental, it helps to first consider which of these sides of Ringerike you would most like to discover.
Landscape, lakes and paths
Long, wooded hills and large lakes define Ringerike. In the north, two short mountain ranges and valleys shape the landscape. These differences give your trip a range of thematic focuses: the Pilegrimsleden passes through cultural and natural landscapes in Hole and Ringerike to Norderhov Church. It is a marked route for modern pilgrims and opened at Olsok in 1995. It is also part of the pilgrim route from Oslo to Nidaros and partly follows the Den Bergenske Kongevei.
Another path leads through the history of timber transport: the Kjerratstien runs mostly along the former route and has several information boards. This lets you learn about how the route was used along the way. For those more interested in the landscape, Sperillen is home to good stocks of vendace, trout, pike and crayfish. The Juveren nature reserve is an oxbow lake formed by the meandering of the Storelva; it lies beside the route as you enter Ringerike.
Discovering cultural history
In Norderhov, the Ringerikes Museum is located in the old vicarage next to Norderhov Church. Its exhibitions include several hundred household items from Jørgen Moe’s private collection. The museum also houses an exhibition by the Hjemmestyrkemuseet, with equipment and weapons from both sides during the occupation years. This offers an insight into various aspects of regional history.
The Kjerratmuseet is a cultural and natural history museum for Åsa in Ringerike. Its exhibition areas include a chainsaw museum and a 13-metre-long terrain model. It depicts the historic Kjerrat installations as well as old farms and mountain pastures. If you would like to explore the history of timber transport in more detail, you can compare these museum exhibits with the Kjerratstien, which mostly follows the former route.
Veien Cultural Heritage Park lies just outside the centre of Hønefoss on the E16. It is home to one of the largest burial grounds from the Early Iron Age in eastern Norway, with more than 100 burial mounds. The park also includes a reconstructed longhouse from the Roman Iron Age. The site reveals two distinct aspects: burial history and the reconstruction of a longhouse from that period.
Hønefoss and other historic traces
Hønefoss developed around the 21-metre-high Hønefossen waterfall on the Ådalselva river. Other historic places include Riddergården, which was developed from the 1780s as an urban farmstead, or town estate. The former Hønefoss hjelpefengsel survives as a complete former prison complex; all the buildings and the prison garden are protected. Concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events are held at Fengselet.
Ringerike’s industrial history is also part of the picture. The Ringerikes Nikkelverk in Tyristrand began operating in the mid-19th century and was a leading nickel producer. Today, adit entrances, slag heaps and building remains can still be seen at the site near Åsterudtjern. These traces tell a different chapter from the museums and historic sites in Hønefoss.
Different interests, different destinations
For families and travellers with different interests, Ringerike offers a range of themes: historical exhibitions, paths, lakes and Ringeriksbadet. The combined swimming and wellness complex is located in Helgelandsmoen, in Ringerike and Hole. It offers water aerobics and swimming lessons for children and adults. When choosing your holiday rental, you can use the places and experiences most important to your trip as a guide, rather than giving every theme equal priority.
For more information about individual places, see also Hallingby, Hønefoss, Ask and Sokna.
For an overview of the wider region, see Buskerud.
More destinations
More places in the same destination:
