Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff
C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News
A family in Norway wants to show that the way their ancestors lived in the 19th century can teach something new about today's environmental issues. Deep inside the picturesque fjords of south-west Norway, Haukali 333 offers a truly one-of-a-kind break as the day-to-day life of rural farmers in the 1800s is adopted, hoping to spark in its guests some very important reevaluation concerning their relationship with nature and sustainability.
Upon arrival, they find themselves surrounded by tall and forest-covered mountains, tranquil lakes, and a landscape virtually untouched by modernity. The cabin itself, built in the traditional style of a husmannshus-or smallholder's house-is a far cry from modern luxury retreats, bringing guests back to simpler, self-sufficient times far from today's world of conveniences. That is a dream shared by Reidunn Botne Hagen, whose family has farmed this land for over a hundred years, and to rebuild how people lived almost two hundred years ago.
At first glance, the rustic charm of Haukali 333-with its turf roof and candlelit interior-might seem an odd vacation choice. The cabin is fitted out with a large stone oven for cooking and heating, plus some very simple wooden furniture and basic facilities that include an outdoor shower and bucket bath heated by the sun. The beds are recessed into the walls, and evening entertainment takes the form of spinning wool at a traditional rokk.
But Haukali 333 is more than nostalgic reminiscence. Botnehagen feels that by entering this historical environment, guests experience the rejuvenation of nature and learn something about ecology. Guests are encouraged to pick their own vegetables, catch fish from the lake nearby, and even wear 19th-century laborers' clothes--to share in the hardships and rewards of life as lived in the 1800s.
According to Botnehagen, this return to slowness-based life is grounding and eye-opening. The cabin attracts people from far and wide, city people are in awe of the absence of pollution in the night sky, other families find bonding over picking berries and chopping firewood. Though the adjustment may be hard for some, many learn to appreciate the simplicity of nature, even the silence is healing in certain instances.
It was not until 2014, when Botenhagen and her husband were digging up stones from an ancient smallholding on their own land, that the Haukali 333 spark hit her. Inspired by her great-grandparents, who lived in the same type of cabins, the next year she spent researching 19th-century rural life. In 2018, after securing funding from Innovation Norway, Botenhagen welcomed her first guests to Haukali 333.
Although the cabin is largely an historical recreation, it nevertheless conveys concepts for the modern age. Resources during the 1850s were utilized frugally: a single fire warmed one residence shared by several individuals; various commodities such as eggs and flour were exchanged for goods rather than cash. Such habits contradict the pattern of current consumption behavior. That's what Botnehagen is hoping for: that having a little taste of this simplicity might inspire visitors to reflect on one's routines in general, particularly with regard to waste and consumption.
By chopping wood to keep themselves warm, or fish to cook for their meals, visitors develop an appreciation for the environment. According to Botnehagen, this is the only way that modern-day challenges such as climate change can be resolved. "If we don't take the wisdom from the past with us, the future will be poorer," she says.
Few places in today's world afford an opportunity to step out of fast-paced modern life into one truly valuing sustainability, self-reliance, and an intimate connection with the world of nature. For many, this is to instill a new sense of environmental responsibility-a lesson from the past that may hopefully help shape a more mindful future.
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