Places with a story
Sunndal bygdemuseum
Sunndal bygdemuseum is the visitor centre within Leikvin kulturminnepark at Grøa. Historical buildings and exhibitions connect the valley's farming society with archaeology and the British visitors who came to fish for salmon, placing several very different chapters of Sunndal's history within one landscape.
The place2
The open-air museum contains buildings of different ages, some with authentic interiors and others used for exhibitions. Its principal exhibition explores the British salmon anglers known locally as the salmon lords, especially Barbara Arbuthnott. Other displays address subjects including folk dress, hunting, archaeology and the Second World War.
History and local connections12
The museum was established as Leikvin Bygdemuseum in 1935. British visitors had begun arriving in the nineteenth century to fish in the Driva. The surrounding Phillipshagen was laid out by Ethelbert Lort-Phillips, leaving a landscape-garden legacy even though his house no longer stands there. These layers sit beside much older local burial remains.
What to look for2
A walk from the garden leads towards the Iron Age burial field at Løykja, interpreted with signs in several languages. The later churchyard contains the graves of Barbara Arbuthnott and others connected with her story. Comparing the museum buildings, garden and burial places turns the park into more than a collection of isolated objects.
Planning a visit2
Nordmørsmusea distinguishes the freely accessible park from paid guided visits inside museum buildings. Check its current Leikvin page for the visitor season and bookings at other times. The place is at Leikvinvegen 21 in Grøa; arrange any requested specialist archaeological guiding with the museum rather than assuming it is available daily.
Sources
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