The wool heritage route

The open, treeless coastal landscape around Bergen has been formed by the people and animals that have lived here. The wool route takes you back thousands of years to the Viking Age and up to the modern designs of today.

Sheep farming in Norway and Western Norway can be traced 5,000 years back in time. Sheep and wool represented an important livelihood for the people who lived along the coast, long before the Viking Age. The Bergen region now has a complete collection of attractions that focus on wool. You can learn about its history and visit modern fashion houses that sell Norwegian-made knitwear to the whole world.

Brief route description

You choose the route yourself, because it is practically impossible to see all the attractions in one day.

Explore the map. Learn about the four museums on the wool heritage route

Coastal heathlands – an endangered landscape

The landscape along the coast of Europe has been more or less the same from Kirkenes, in the very north of Norway, to Spain, in the very south of Europe. The open landscape of coastal heathlands is now endangered. The Heathland Centre at Lygra in Nordhordland explains how people have cultivated the landscape through history by burning and harvesting the heather for fodder. They did so to ensure they had enough feed for their sheep and other livestock through the winter. You can sample the Heathland Centre’s fantastic wild sheep soup, and you can also buy local food and craft products at the museum shop.

Wool – the Vikings’ raincoat

The Vikings travelled across the oceans on boats that were open to the elements. They knew a lot about wool and used its water-resistant properties in their own clothes. The Vikings wove the longest strands of wool into raincoats. This meant that they didn’t have to slaughter the animals, and they could produce large quantities of clothes.

This tradition is still being kept alive. Osterøy Museum arranges courses where you can learn to weave your very own Viking raincoat on a Oppstadveven loom. Osterøy Museum is a great place to learn old textile and craft traditions.

Mass production of wool

The tricotage factory in Salhus opened in 1859. Here wool was combed and dyed and turned into garments on knitting machines. You can now visit the Textile Industry Museum - The Museum Centre in Hordaland and join a guided tour of the factory and learn about the history of the mass production of Norwegian wool. The café serves home bakes, and you can buy wool in the museum shop and start your own knitting project!

Hillesvåg ullvarefabrikk dates back to 1898. Several of the machines that produce wool and yarn are more than 100 years old, and still in operation! If you visit the lovely factory outlet shop, you can peep into the factory itself and see the machines hard at work producing yarn from Norwegian wool. Groups can also go on guided tours of this living Èconomusée. Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk is passionate about craft traditions, and everything made here is imbued with pride and diligence and of very high quality. Hillesvåg makes wool and yarn for quality-conscious customers in Norway and abroad.

The wool emigrates to the US

In the 19th century there were tight conditions in the countryside of Norway. Many tried their luck an emigrated to America bringing their wool heritage with them. But many settled down in places like Salhus to work at the factory. At the Western Norwegian Emigration Centre you can learn the history of wool ended up on the prairie. In Sletta, Radøy you can visit a real prairie village that has been moved from America. Guided tours, exhibitions, cultural trail and bike rental. Open for groups all year.

Wool is high fashion!

The Bergen region is home to a number of great fashion houses whose collections are based on wool. You can visit all of the factories, and they all have factory outlet shops where you can pick up a bargain!

Dale of Norway's factory is situated between Voss and Bergen. It has been producing Norwegian knitwear since 1879, when Peder Jebsen founded the first factory at the foot of impressive waterfalls. Today, you can visit the factory and buy modern knitwear in the factory outlet shop.

The Norlender factory is situated at Lonevåg on Osterøy. In 1927, Ola Tveiten bought his first knitting machine for his off-road farm. The factory expanded and you can now visit it and buy reasonably-priced modern knitwear.

Oleana is a family firm founded in 1992 by Signe Aarhus, Hildegunn Møster and Kolbjørn Valestrand. Their goal was to create new jobs in the textile industry in Norway. Oleana’s ambition is to make beautiful garments of a design and quality that people will love. Norway has a long, rich tradition in textile production and patterned knitwear. It is important to Oleana to retain production in Norway to preserve traditions and knowledge. Oleana is an Èconomusée, and is open to visitors.

Stay at a traditional Western Norwegian farm

Gripen gård is an authentic Western Norwegian farm that farms sheep the old way. The farm is in a beautiful location beside Storavatnet lake on Holsnøy. Farmer Helene Olli Sollid rents out cabins on her farm as accommodation. You can also stay in a lavvo (Sami tent) on an island in the lake. Enjoy nature up close and all by yourself! You can experience the sheep at close range on the farm. The sheep are one of the oldest breeds in Norway, and can graze outdoors all year. In the autumn, you can buy cuts of meat, cured legs of mutton and, the Christmas favourite, salted, dried mutton ribs from the farm. facebook.com/gripengard/

Meet other wool lovers at the wool festival!

Do you knit? Do you enjoy learning new craft techniques? Well, you’re not alone! The Bergen region has two festivals where the focus is on wool. We advise you to regularly check their websites as the tickets, events and workshops at the festivals sell out quickly!

Ullveka takes place every October and is a celebration of Norwegian wool, Norwegian sheep breeds and Norway’s rich textile traditions. The festival hosts many workshops, exhibitions and events across the Bergen region for over a week.

Bergen Knitting Festival takes place every September at the Textile Industry Museum - The Museum Centre in Hordaland. For three days on end, the museum plays host to lectures, workshops, activities and, naturally, a large yarn market.