Places with a story
Vegårshei bygdetun – Julius Grasåsens samlingar
Vegårshei bygdetun grew from Julius Grasåsen's determination to preserve the tools and buildings of rural life. Its collection connects farming, forestry, crafts and schooling with the people who used them, giving local working history a practical and personal setting.
The place1
The collection is spread across eight buildings. Horse-powered equipment, a shoemaker's workshop, timber-working tools and railway and forestry displays show different kinds of labour. A schoolhouse and a crofter's cottage extend the account from work into learning, domestic life and the resources available to ordinary households.
History and local connections1
Grasåsen, born in 1897, was a farmer and smallholder from the nearby farm. He collected objects others might discard because he saw evidence of a disappearing way of life. The museum became a foundation in 1984. Its first re-erected building was an old meeting house from around 1840, rebuilt on the place in 1982.
What to look for12
Compare the equipment across buildings rather than treating each object as an isolated curiosity. The museum aims to remain active, with seasonal demonstrations and educational programmes that recreate tasks such as food production and old-fashioned schooling. These programmes connect preserved material with actions that photographs alone cannot explain.
Planning a visit12
The operator directs visitors to its current calendar and accepts advance bookings for groups. Check the programme before travelling, because demonstrations and access arrangements vary through the season. The museum is at Grasåsveien 55, set back from the road between Vegårshei and Risør; use its route information for the approach.
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