vegaøyan world heritage
Building heritage
There has been continuous settlement on Vega for 11,000 years
Through mapping, significant discoveries have been made from both the Old and Younger Stone Ages. The finds are particularly rich from the Early Stone Age. The elevation of the land, together with the location of the settlements, means that the traces are well preserved. This, together with the topography and the clear shorelines, means that Vega also has unique archaeological value internationally.
The oldest finds relate to the mountainous areas of Vega, in the Mohalsen area. Archaeological research in 2012-2013 uncovered artifacts that indicate that the area may have been settled from both north and south and that the first people settled there as early as 11,000 years ago.
The findings at Åsgarden indicate that this was a main settlement in the Stone Age, with relatively high levels of settlement and activity. The shallow areas, which today have become the land break on Vega and the surrounding islands, were of great importance for the Stone Age people's access to resources. The islands first emerged from the sea 5000 to 2000 years ago. In these areas, therefore, there are only younger archaeological traces.
Well-maintained buildings
When the islands became inhabited, so did the buildings. Building materials were in short supply on the treeless islands, and materials and prefabricated houses were bought on the mainland. Many of the houses were bought fully assembled and dismantled before being moved to the islands. In many cases, they were also moved from the islands when they were depopulated. The prayer house in Bremstein is one of the houses that was moved to Vega and now stands on Valla. Thanks to seasonal and leisure use, much of the building stock has been preserved. Today there are around 200 buildings in the World Heritage Site. Skjærvær fishing village and Bremstein lighthouse are protected.
Nordland county council has special building protection funds for the Vegaøyan World Heritage Site and the buffer zone on Vega. The deadline for applying for funding is November 15.
Nordland County Council/Riksantikvaren is funding a position as a building conservation consultant for the world heritage area. The position is based at the Helgeland Museum, and project owners can receive assistance in preparing a site report for buildings to be restored and help with the actual application process. Nordland County Council also previously engaged the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) for the project Kystens øysamfunn, Fargeundersøkelser på Vegaøyan. The assignment report from the project describes building and color archaeological surveys from the area. The aim of the work was to find out the building's color and building history so that this knowledge can be used when restoring buildings.
The pictures show the restoration process of Øverstua in Tåværet. The house is owned by Vegaøyans Venner. Photo: Rita Johansen
Eider architecture
A special feature of the building stock in the world heritage area is the many e-houses and e-lanes (eider houses). The birdwatchers, the Vegaøyan World Heritage Foundation and Nordland Ærfugllag have worked together to restore and build more e-houses. Vega School, Helgeland Museum and Friends of Vegaøyan are also helping the birdwatchers to repair and build e-houses. As of 2021, there are more than 3,200 e-houses in Vegaøyan, an increase of 30 percent over the past seven or eight years.
Building code guide
To ensure that the building heritage and building environments in the buffer zone and world heritage area are preserved and developed in the best possible way, in 2008 Vega Municipality entered into an agreement with ARCHUS Arkitekter to prepare a zoning plan and a building code guide for the Nes - Kirkøy area in Vega Municipality. The background to the work is the interest in new establishments and the pressure that Vega, and Nes Kirkøy in particular, has come under following its World Heritage status.
