Setesdal

Setesdal runs about two hundred kilometres north from Kristiansand into the mountains, and its isolation until the twentieth century preserved traditions that faded elsewhere. In 2019 UNESCO inscribed the valley's folk music and dance practice on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, covering the langeleik and Hardanger fiddle playing, the stev sung verse tradition and the gangar and springar dances, still learned informally rather than only in schools. Setesdal silverwork, worn on the regional bunad, is made in workshops along the valley. The Setesdal Museum at Rysstad covers the material culture, and the Setesdalsbanen, a preserved narrow-gauge railway, runs steam trains near Vennesla in summer.

History

The Historia Norwegiæ, written by a monk in the second half of the 12th century, records Setesdal as part of the law district "Telemark with Råbyggelag", and the name comes from Setr, probably an old large farm in today's Valle. The 13th-century Hylestad Stave Church was taken down in the 17th century, but its portal carved with the legend of Sigurd the Dragon-slayer is in the University Museum in Oslo; the Setesdal Line opened to Byglandsfjord in 1896 and closed in 1962 (Wikipedia, Setesdal).

What's there

• The living music tradition - fiddle, langeleik and stev still practised locally.
• The silver workshops - makers producing the valley's distinctive jewellery.
• The Setesdal Museum - regional buildings and material culture at Rysstad.
• The preserved railway - summer steam trains on the Setesdalsbanen.

When to go

June to September, when the museums, workshops and railway are open and folk music events are held; winter brings skiing at Hovden at the valley head. Concerts and dances are often announced locally at short notice.

Things to know

The tradition is a living practice rather than a scheduled performance, so seeing it depends on timing and luck. Museums keep short seasonal hours. The valley is long, and a car is needed to cover it.

Nearby

Hovden ski centre is at the head of the valley; Kristiansand lies at the southern end.

Key facts