For generations, we have been committed to preserving the culture and history of the place. We are proud, through use and hotel operation, to be able to preserve Røisheim as a cultural monument for the future. We want as many people as possible to experience Røisheim, Jotunheimen and Bøverdalen as a source of inspiration and the exciting story behind it.
Røisheim has an exciting story and we are happy to tell you more about it. We recommend you the book about the mountain pioneer Ole Halvorssen Røisheim, the first mountain tourists and about life in the Boverdalen valley. It can be ordered at post@roisheim.no or purchased at the reception at Røisheim.
Over a hundred years ago, on the way over Sognefjellet, it was common for tourists, dignitaries and commercial travelers alike to stop at Røisheim in the Bøverdalen valley to rest. Røisheim was a coaching inn from 1858 and contributed to sleep and rest for travelers, couriers and horses alike. The function of the coaching inn gradually transitioned into a resting place for mountain tourists and travelers — whether they went between east and west or ascended one of the many peaks of Jotunheimen. The buildings and courtyard were listed in 1923.
Galdhøpiggen was ascended from Røisheim for the first time in 1850. Røisheim soon became a base for the climbing sport of Jotunheimen. Ole Halvorssen Røisheim, who owned and operated the place at the time, was one of Jotunheimen's most famous mountain guides. He led tourists to Galdhøpiggen, over to Gjende and up the many 2,000-meter peaks in the area.
Legendary British rock climber William Cecil Slingsby, first man to ascend Store Skagadølstind, arrived in Røisheim in 1874 and returned many times since. In his famous book “Norway, the northern playground” he writes that Røisheim will always be the starting point for climbing Galdhøpiggen — the highest peak in Northern Europe.
Many artists have been fascinated by Røisheim over the years. Some of our greatest painters, poets and composers; Gude, Edvard Grieg, Henrik Ibsen, Fritz Thaulow, Aasmund Vinje, Arne Garborg and not least Gerhard Munthe found their way to Røisheim and fell in love with the picturesque farm and the magnificent surroundings. Gerhard Munthe had a very special relationship with Røisheim and painted many pictures from there. He was a regular guest from 1904 to 1928. Several of his pictures hang today in the dining room at Røisheim. Find inspiration among the art on the walls of the main house, in the Gallery in Stabburet or in the library on the second floor.
To this day, Røisheim is still a place for artists and art enthusiasts. In cooperation with Galleri Zink, a summer exhibition has been held every summer in the Gallery, which is located in the protected Stabburet at Røisheim every summer. Examples of exhibitions include H.M. Dronning Sonja's ceramics and graphic works, as well as Johan Mæhlum and Anne Kristine Thorsby's ceramic sculptures and paintings.
