Discover Onarheim

Onarheim combines a distinctive cultural and historical profile with its own trail themes. Its architectural history includes Husnes Church and the Commandant’s House at Lundagarden; the Postvegen and Søralløypa bring historic routes and individual landscape features into focus. When planning your trip, it is worth looking at these differences: buildings, the cultural and historical setting, and trails each tell a different part of the area’s history.

Architectural history in Onarheim

Husnes Church was built in 1874. It is a wooden church with a long-plan layout and 280 seats. A long-plan layout refers to an elongated ground plan; together with the wooden construction, this gives the church a specific architectural classification. The number of seats indicates the size of the church as a building, while the year it was built establishes its place in time.

The Commandant’s House, also known as Onarheim embetsgård, stands at Lundagarden. It was built between 1820 and 1823 and is still standing today. The Lundagarden cultural environment also includes an eldhus, a barn and the associated agricultural land. This environment is of significant cultural and architectural historical value. The dated Commandant’s House and the broader cultural environment can therefore be viewed as two aspects of the area’s heritage: the individually named building and the other features of the farm setting.

The Postvegen and Søralløypa

The Postvegen passes through Onarheim. The section here connects preserved and existing sections of the 25-kilometre postal route in Kvinnherad. Restoration work on the Postvegen through Kvinnherad, and its preparation for use as an accessible hiking trail, was completed in 2014. The local route and the development of the longer postal route are thus different aspects of the trail’s history.

At Søralløypa, a specific detail takes centre stage at the beginning of the trail towards Bremstølen: here, the trail crosses a small river over two stone bridges. One of them appears older and is in good condition. Kvinnherad Municipality classifies the area around Søralløypa as a very important Friluftsområde, or significant local recreation area. The bridges describe a point along the trail; the municipal classification applies to the area around Søralløypa.

More cultural attractions in Kvinnherad

In the wider destination of Kvinnherad, Baroniet Rosendal and Halsnøy Kloster add to the cultural and historical context. Baroniet Rosendal is Norway’s only barony and Scandinavia’s smallest castle. The estate includes a castle dating from 1665 and a garden with 300 years of garden history. At Halsnøy Kloster, the site’s history dates back to 1163. It includes, among other things, ruins of the 14th-century monastery complex, a residence from 1841 and gardens. Guided tours, exhibitions, lectures and concerts are held there throughout the year.

For hiking ideas in the wider destination of Kvinnherad, Kvinnherad Turlag collects current and updated suggestions for the entire area. This regional overview can help you choose a hike. As individual routes may change, check the information for your chosen trail before making specific plans.

Discover more destinations

Løfallstrand, Holmedal, Utåker, Åkra, Rosendal, Husnes, Arnavik, Sandvoll

For the wider travel overview: Kvinnherad.