Bærums Verk is one of Norway's oldest industrial sites, with iron production spanning 354 years from 1610 to 1964. King Christian IV commissioned the first smelting hut here, making it the site of Norway's first blast furnace. Dutch merchant Gabriel Marcelis bought the operation in 1641 and installed a double blast furnace at the current location. By royal order, a tavern was built partly to control the workers' drinking; Værtshuset has operated since 1640, making it one of Norway's oldest continuously running inns.
The ironworks' most remarkable chapter belongs to Anna Krefting. Widowed at 29 in 1712 while pregnant with her seventh child, she never remarried and ran Bærums Verk for 54 years, growing it into the largest ironworks in Norway. She founded a school for workers' children and produced cannonballs, armour plates, bar iron, and five lighthouses, including the Færder lighthouse at the entrance to the Oslofjord. At 79, after a devastating fire destroyed the plant in 1762, she rebuilt everything in two years. She is buried at nearby Tanum kirke. The ironworks is also said to be among Norway's most haunted places: Anna's ghost has been spotted at the inn, always dressed in green, and every night at 12:15 the office phone allegedly rings, traced to the room where young owner Conrad Clauson died at age 31 in 1785.
After iron production ended in 1964, the site was restored as an artisanal village with over 40 shops, galleries, and workshops where visitors can watch glass blowers, blacksmiths, and carpenters at work. A sculpture park features more than 28 works, expanding by one new piece each year. The river Lomma runs through the centre with a waterfall visible beside the old industrial buildings. The site has won the Olavsrosa, Norway's heritage quality mark, for experiences of particularly high standard.
The ironworks' most remarkable chapter belongs to Anna Krefting. Widowed at 29 in 1712 while pregnant with her seventh child, she never remarried and ran Bærums Verk for 54 years, growing it into the largest ironworks in Norway. She founded a school for workers' children and produced cannonballs, armour plates, bar iron, and five lighthouses, including the Færder lighthouse at the entrance to the Oslofjord. At 79, after a devastating fire destroyed the plant in 1762, she rebuilt everything in two years. She is buried at nearby Tanum kirke. The ironworks is also said to be among Norway's most haunted places: Anna's ghost has been spotted at the inn, always dressed in green, and every night at 12:15 the office phone allegedly rings, traced to the room where young owner Conrad Clauson died at age 31 in 1785.
After iron production ended in 1964, the site was restored as an artisanal village with over 40 shops, galleries, and workshops where visitors can watch glass blowers, blacksmiths, and carpenters at work. A sculpture park features more than 28 works, expanding by one new piece each year. The river Lomma runs through the centre with a waterfall visible beside the old industrial buildings. The site has won the Olavsrosa, Norway's heritage quality mark, for experiences of particularly high standard.
