Norgesskolen Winter is held at Solstua at the top of Holmenkollen in Oslo.  

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Nothing is as comfortable as going to bed after a long day of learning and outdoor activities in the snow. Students will be divided into rooms by gender. Some of the teachers will stay on site with the participants. There are 3 to 5 beds and mattresses (cabin style) in each bedroom.

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A stay at Solstua is comparable to a stay at a staffed lodge with The Norwegian Trekking Association.

 

The history of Solstua

On the top of Holmenkollen is Solstua. Solstua was built as a hunting lodge for Sam Eyde in 1905 .

The house is a two-storey timber building with a floor area of ​​500 square metres. The property is 22 acres and is located at the top of Voksenkollen, with a beautiful view of the town and the fjord. In 1915, factory owner Halvor Schou bought Solstua, and asked architect Arnstein Arneberg to design a new interior for the living rooms. For the dining room, the floor, walls and ceiling were taken from an English estate and for the middle living room, French, antique tapestries were acquired. The room was furnished with gilded chairs and sofas, which had belonged to Prince Heinrich, brother of Emperor Wilhelm II. Arneberg's work on the site is intact and is used as an example of his beautiful interiors. The Norwegian painter and restaurateur Dominico Erdmann decorated the garden room and one of the bedrooms on the 2nd floor.

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In 1918, Schou took over a timber building from Hol in Hallingdal, which was placed in the courtyard. The house, which is called Hallingstua (Nestegardstua) was built in 1740. It has unique ceiling paintings, which were restored in 1880 by Adolf Tidemann. Hallingstua was called Nestegardstugu and was built in 1740 at Nordre Nestegard in Hol in Hallingdal. Hallingstua was dismantled in 1911, and was stored until approx. 1918 when factory owner Halvor Schou in Oslo bought it and set it up on his property Solstua in Voksenkollen. The ceiling was decorated by Kristen Aanstad in 1780 and is said to have been restored by the painter Adolf Tidemann in the 1880s. The National Antiquary writes after an inspection in 1985 that the decor is very rare and of high quality, and that the house is in a clear conservation class.

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In 1933 Halvor Schou sold the property to Ewald Bosse and his wife Margit. Bosse was a professor of sociology and taught at the University of Oslo. He wrote a number of books in his field, and was known for his social commitment. In 1956, according to both spouses' wills, a foundation was created to preserve and run Solstua as a holiday home for "tired housewives of the working class". From 1964, Solstua was used as an aftercare home for patients from Dikemark, and then as a course and conference center for Oslo municipality.

Solstua looks just as beautiful today as it did when the Bosse-couple took over the place in 1933.

Norgesskolen winter is proud to be able to run a school in such beautiful surroundings!

 

Nearby surroundings

On the top of Oslo, at the edge of the forest with more than 2600 km (1600 miles) of prepared ski trails. 90 km are lit for the special atmosphere of evening tours. “Just around the corner” you will also find ice skating and sledding facilities.

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Horse-drawn sleighs may be a thing of the past, but in Norway you will still see plenty of people skiing to school or to the post office.