The upper class, the aristocracy of Europe sought new exciting places. They were tired of the French Riviera, they wanted adventure, something new, so they came to Norway. They came to climb mountains, to hunt reindeer, but above all, to fish salmon, thus they became the”salmon lords”. The panorama of valley Norangdalen became famous. Among the guests were:

Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Knut Hamsun, Karen Blixen, Edvard Grieg, Roald Amundsen, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Coco Chanel, the Queens Wilhelmina and Juliane of the Netherlands, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, King Oscar II of Sweden/Norway, Queen Maud and King Haakon VII, Crown princess Märtha and King Olav V of Norway.

Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany visited Norway the first time in 1889 and returned almost every summer until 1914.	Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands spent 12 holidays in Norway, the last in 1955.

Photo: Staale Wattø.


This tradition was continued when King Harald 5 and Queen Sonja invited 40 royals from all over Europe to the celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary; ”Silvercruise”, in August 1993. Onboard their yachts they took their guests to a cruise in the fjords of western Norway, visiting the Briksdalsglacier, the Geirangerfjord and the Norangdal. Queen Sonja often enjoys private expeditions in the footsteps of the British mountain climbers Slingsby, Patchell and Mohn who ”discovered” the mountains of northwestern Norway at the turn of the century.


Photo: Johan Behrentz.

Hotel Norangdal was built by my great – greatgrandparents Anne and Anders Haugen and their neighbour Ole Petter Haugen in 1885. The two families owned the hotel together and managed it alternately each summer. Hotel Norangdal enjoyed its prime time during the period when cruiseline passengers were transported by horse and carriage through the Norangdal. (1890 – 1940) There could be more than 120 carriages and hundreds of walking guests stopping for refreshments on one day. Traffic was so dense that the goldsmith Stamnæss from Ålesund established a little souvenir shop here.

Hotel Norangdal 1885	Norangdal Skysslag provided transport for the cruisepassengers of 1909

Unfortunately the guestbook has been lost, however, the most distinguished guests were known to be:

• Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson the Norwegian writer who wrote the Norwegian National Anthem and became a national symbol when Norway finally became independent with her break from Sweden in 1905.

  William Cecil Slingsby one of the pioneers in Norwegian mountain climbing. He came to Norway the first time in 1872 and was the first to climb many norwegian mountains. In his book ”Norway – the northern playground” he dedicated an entire chapter to Fivelstadhaugen. He became a member of honour in the Norwegian Climber’s Club and the Tourist Association.

• William Henry Singer from Singer Industries, the American millonaire and artist who fell in love with Olden, moved there and had lunch at Hotel Norangdal every summer, always demanding tablewater from a special source.
  
  
• The tourist association of Ålesund used the hotel frequently

• Queen Wilhelmina held a picnic just outside the hotel and this was the first time the local children had oranges and bananas.

  When the car came the itinerary for the cruise passengers was changed; the car could go faster and further than the horse. As a result of a family tragedy during World War II, the hotel was sold out of the family. When a new law on the size and firerestrictions of hotels was passed in the 1960’s the owners found it too expensive to bring it up to date, and the building was then forgotten for 25 years.

Villa Norangdal:
Hotell Norangdal will be restored and reopened as Villa Norangdal; a Villa with 5 double rooms with shower & WC and facilities as shown under the button "Room by Room". Villa Norangdal can be rented for private recreation, to reward your co-workers or as a service for clients.

Wedding of Petra Haugen and Ingebrigt Fivelstad 1928