Prestfoss – Folk Music, Museum and Olhovd

In Prestfoss, you’ll encounter two very different sides of the place: the preservation of regional folk music at the Sigdal Museum and a hike up Olhovd. The cultural offerings range from folk music and folk dance to historic buildings; outdoors, the focus shifts to the landscape and a cycling loop around Prestfoss. When deciding where to stay, you can weigh up whether you’d prefer to focus on cultural history or outdoor activities.

Folk Music and Culture at the Sigdal Museum

The Folkemusikksenteret i Buskerud is a centre of expertise for folk music and folk dance. It is responsible for preserving and sharing regional music and dance, and is located at the Sigdal Museum. It is housed in a large, three-storey log building. The combination of a folk music centre and a museum makes this part of Prestfoss a specific destination for anyone interested in Norwegian musical traditions.

The building houses an extensive archive of Norwegian folk music, a recording studio and a concert hall, as well as rooms for meetings and conferences. It also has a large collection of books on Norwegian folk music and the country’s largest collection of the magazine Spellemannsbladet, dating from its first issue in 1941 to the present day. The Folkemusikksenteret also organises concerts and courses for children and young people. This gives young music enthusiasts their own way to engage with the centre’s subjects.

Historic Buildings and Church Art

The Sigdal Museum is located on the site of the former Sigdal nickel works, which operated from 1874 to 1879. The Eikjebygningen is also part of the area’s history: it dates from the mid-18th century and contains a room decorated with rose paintings from 1799. The Sigdal bygdetun comprises 11 houses dating from the 17th to the 19th century.

Holmen kirke, Sigdal’s main church, stands in the centre of Prestfoss. Built in 1853, the wooden cruciform church is clad in wood and seats 700 people. The poet and clergyman Jørgen Moe was ordained there in 1853. Inside, the altarpiece by Aksel Ender depicts the Crucifixion. The church’s bright, open interior is another distinct cultural highlight for visitors interested in church art as well as museum buildings.

Olhovd and a Cycling Loop Outdoors

Olhovd forms the northern part of the ridge south of central Prestfoss. The summit is 547 metres above sea level. The hike begins at Gvilarhaugen and follows forest roads, trails and a grassy cart track for part of the way. If you like to include a hike in your stay, this route offers several different types of path and a clearly identified destination.

From Olhovd, the view stretches west and north over Lake Soneren, Andersnatten, Eggedalsfjella and Norefjell, as well as Kråkefjorden and the centre of Prestfoss. The viewpoint therefore brings several named landscape features and the town itself into view. When planning your holiday, you can contrast a culturally focused exploration of Prestfoss with an outing along the ridge and its viewpoints.

A cycling loop around Prestfoss is also described. It starts at the access road opposite Prestfoss ungdomsskole. Parking is available at the school, which can be reached via Fv 287 and the relevant signs. If you’re looking for a holiday apartment in Prestfoss, you can consider whether you’d prefer to spend more of your days visiting museums and exploring culture, or hiking and cycling.

For more places to explore, you can also visit Eggedal and Nedre Eggedal.

For the broader travel overview: Sigdal.