Cultural route in Vinje

If you head west from the center of Åmot, you can experience many cultural and historical sites in a short distance.
Why not start your journey at Groven Camping og Hyttegrend in Åmot?
The site has a beautiful courtyard with old houses from the area.
Here you can spend the night in a tree house, barn, fireplace, storehouse or at Loftet – which is probably one of the oldest camping cabins in Norway at 700 years old.
There are also 10 larger cabins of a high standard.
The first stop is the Midtbø homestead, the artist’s home where the famous author couple Halldis and Tarjei Vesaas lived.
The house and life there are depicted in several of their poems and books.
Midtbø is still owned by the family and has been open to visitors during the tourist season since 2016.
Take in the surroundings where the two authors found inspiration to write world-renowned literature!
The journey continues westwards.
In Bøgrend you can swing by Vinje Bryggeri, where you’ll find locally brewed beer that embodies local culture and history in both name and taste.
Vinjestoga is located on Vinjeflaten right next to Vinjesenteret, the national center for poetry and journalism.
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, the pioneering journalist and poet who turned the national language into a living vernacular with the newspaper Dølen, grew up here.
Many of Vinje’s poems have been set to music, and several of them have become popular songs.
You can take a guided tour of Vinjestoga during the tourist season.
Before you drive on towards Smørklepp, you can swing by Vinjesvingen Handel and buy some local food.
The next stop is Mjonøy Kultursenter, known among other things for its delicious fresh yeast pastries from the stone oven and outdoor café serving food made from local ingredients in generous portions.
The courtyard is framed by a collection of old houses, and is idyllically located by the river – with hammocks placed cool in the shade under the tree.
With animals, an art exhibition and a craft exhibition to boot, there’s something for everyone!
And even though many people stop here in the summer, the town is still characterized by peace and harmony.
On Mjonøy, you can spend the night in simple old Telemark houses, high-standard cabins or camp in a mobile home or tent.
In the village of Smørklepp (15 km from Åmot) you are in the middle of the “painter’s landscape” of the artist Henrik Sørensen, who was known above all for his evocative depictions of nature in Telemark.
Here is the distinctive, natural stone-built Smørklepp Art Museum, where you can study a large collection of Sørensen’s paintings.
You can also see paintings by the famous artist Harald Kihle here.
Have a good trip!