Søre Harildstad, Heritage farm site in Sel Municipality, Norway.
Søre Harildstad is a farm site nestled on a hillside in the southwest corner of Heidal valley, with five stone buildings topped by grass-covered roofs. The structures surround a central yard and display construction methods that were typical for rural mountain areas centuries ago.
People farmed this location from at least the 1300s onward, with the first written record appearing in 1449. The site gained legal protection in 1923 to safeguard the buildings and their traditional construction methods for the future.
The name reflects its origin as an old settlement, and you can still sense the traditional rural way of life that once shaped these buildings and their surroundings. The structures with turf roofs show how farmers arranged their homes and how they adapted to mountain living.
The buildings can be visited, with guided tours offered during warmer months and lodging with meals available on the grounds. It is worth checking in advance when visits are possible, as operations vary with the seasons.
Archaeological evidence shows that farming continued uninterrupted at this location since the 1300s, making it a window into the long history of how people settled in this region. The continuity of use across centuries is documented more clearly here than at most similar mountain farms.
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