– It is a disaster if our cultural heritage is lost, says Hilmar Høl, mayor of Årdal. There are fears that the old buildings “Ne`fø`sjøen” may be lost in the flood that is now ravaging Western Norway. There is a very high flow of water in the Offerdals watercourse, and several of the unique buildings in the vicinity are in danger, the municipality reports on Friday afternoon. Fear of the “dry house” The old buildings, including a main house, a mill and a boathouse, are located on the north side of the Årdalsfjord in the inner Parish. In recent years, a private association has put in a lot of effort to save the cultural heritage. Harald Thune is the leader of the association. He was at the site today and was quick to sound the alarm. The reason was that he saw that the river was dangerously large. The parish was quick to contact the municipality. There are great forces at work in Årdal municipality and in the Offerdalsvassdraget. Photo: Harald Thune He particularly fears the “tørkestova”, which is closest to the river. Here, water has flowed around the entire building and up under the roof on the logs. – We feared that it would go off guard with the flume, says Thune. A mill is also specially designated. But since the building is bolted on, it will probably remain standing, he hopes. A contractor has been on site, and based on the feedback from those involved, Thune thinks it can go well. – A disaster But even if the buildings will hopefully remain standing, they will suffer damage as a result of the disaster. This particularly applies to the drying rack. The contractor from the municipality must check the area several times during the evening. – What if the buildings were to collapse as a result of the flume? – It would be a disaster if it had been lost, he says. Harald Thune was out in the area earlier today. In particular, it is the buildings closest to the river that are most exposed.
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