The island of Hestøya
Hestøya Island is located at Lund in Namsos in Trøndelag county, Mid Norway, just off the scenic coastal route F 769 county road between Trøndelag and Nordland counties.
Natural diversity
The island offers an unique diversity of vegetation with a fusion of coastal and inland climates, a multitude of tree species, shoreline areas, varied terrain and topography. It has a lot of stones and diverse rock types, natural harbour basins, new and old forests as well as remains of former agricultural land. This ecological diversity makes the island ideal for creating land art.
The entire island at the artist disposal
Artworks can be created anywhere on the island, including its coastal and maritime areas. The works created are expected to have no adverse impact on the island's ecological habitat. They should be an integral part of the island's natural environment, evolving over time.
Lund
The Lund local community of is situated in the municipality of Namsos in Namdalen, Mid- Norway, approximately 50 minutes by car from the town of Namsos. For more insights into the Lund community and local history, you can explore the Lundinger website, created by local history enthusiast Harald Grøtting: http://lundinger.no/om-lund.html
Natural diversity
The island offers an unique diversity of vegetation with a fusion of coastal and inland climates, a multitude of tree species, shoreline areas, varied terrain and topography. It has a lot of stones and diverse rock types, natural harbour basins, new and old forests as well as remains of former agricultural land. This ecological diversity makes the island ideal for creating land art.
The entire island at the artist disposal
Artworks can be created anywhere on the island, including its coastal and maritime areas. The works created are expected to have no adverse impact on the island's ecological habitat. They should be an integral part of the island's natural environment, evolving over time.
Lund
The Lund local community of is situated in the municipality of Namsos in Namdalen, Mid- Norway, approximately 50 minutes by car from the town of Namsos. For more insights into the Lund community and local history, you can explore the Lundinger website, created by local history enthusiast Harald Grøtting: http://lundinger.no/om-lund.html
Drone photography
Photo: Arnt Storø
Aviation photography: Kartverket
Photo: Bjørn Tore Ness, Namdalsavisa
Photo: Namsos Kommune
Photo: Arnt Storø
Landscape photos
Photo: Maria Konstanse Bruun
Map Hestøya
Hestøya - Local History
by Lund Grendelag
The origin of the name Hestøya (horse island) is probably the fact that the island was used for grazing horses. North of Hestøya is Hestvika and a little further northwest is Hestholet.
Hestøya, which had previously belonged to farm number 14, Båtstøa, farm number 16, Alexanderstun and farm number 19, Rønningen, was sold to Torberg Larsen Sminesvik in 1875, with a debt of 7 shillings. Hestøya is one of the few former settlements in Fjærangen that is not suffering from ice in the winter. In addition, the inland area is protected from the weather and wind, so to speak, from all sides. The farms at Lund, which previously owned Hestøya, had used it for grazing horses in the summer.
Torberg Hestø came across an ancient grave when he was digging out a basement. He ended up digging an earth cellar somewhere else, he probably didn't want to have the potatoes in the cemetery.
Torberg (1847-1917) was married to Johanna Arntsdtr. Storø (1849-1894) and they had six children. Three of them emigrated to America, and so did Torberg himself, after he became a widower, but he only stayed there for two years (1908-1910).
The origin of the name Hestøya (horse island) is probably the fact that the island was used for grazing horses. North of Hestøya is Hestvika and a little further northwest is Hestholet.
Hestøya, which had previously belonged to farm number 14, Båtstøa, farm number 16, Alexanderstun and farm number 19, Rønningen, was sold to Torberg Larsen Sminesvik in 1875, with a debt of 7 shillings. Hestøya is one of the few former settlements in Fjærangen that is not suffering from ice in the winter. In addition, the inland area is protected from the weather and wind, so to speak, from all sides. The farms at Lund, which previously owned Hestøya, had used it for grazing horses in the summer.
Torberg Hestø came across an ancient grave when he was digging out a basement. He ended up digging an earth cellar somewhere else, he probably didn't want to have the potatoes in the cemetery.
Torberg (1847-1917) was married to Johanna Arntsdtr. Storø (1849-1894) and they had six children. Three of them emigrated to America, and so did Torberg himself, after he became a widower, but he only stayed there for two years (1908-1910).
Photo: The farm on Hestøya seen from the southwest, Slettfjellet behind on the left, ca. 1915. Photo: Jan Hestø.
Photo: Hestøya seen from the northeast, Sminesfjellet (Storfjellet) in the background on the left, ca. 1915. Photo: Jan Hestø
Photo: Coffee party on Hestøya in 1924. In front: Inger Storø, else from left: Anne Storø (née Skrøyvstad), Bergitte Storø (née Lund), Lornts Storø, Tormod Storø (with tray and coffee cups), Bergitte Smines (born Storø), Jan (Johan) Hestø, Eivind Storø, Karen Storø (with coffee pot), Aslaug Storø (born Grøtting) and Hartvik Storø (with coffee kettles). Photo courtesy of Jon Smines.
The property remained deserted until new owners came to Hestøya in 1926. They were Torleif Arvid Olsen Garmannvik (1893-1963) and Thora Augusta Kristiansdtr. Tønder (1896-1948) with two children. They sold Hestøya to Torgeir Lund in 1928 and moved off the island. Since then, a couple of tenants have lived there. Ingar Emanuel Finvik (1908-1944) and Agnes Indiana Sverdrup, known as Agnes Vassli (1914-1994). Agnes Vassli grew up in Vasslian with her foster parents Bergitta and Konrad Vassli. They had no children and it is said that Ingar took a shotgun and shot himself in the earth cellar.
Then came Andreas Westgård (1908-1945) and Synnøve Saksen (1914-1990). They brought three children with them to Hestøya.
After the war, a German mine clearance ship was located off Gardsøya in Fjærangen. Among other things, their task was to clear the minefield at Kjeøya. On May 26, 1945, Andreas was visited by two of the Germans in a small dinghy. He was allowed to join them on the way back, because he was going to Smineset. The small dinghy rolled around before they arrived; The Germans escaped ashore on Gardsøya, while Andreas drowned.
The property remained deserted until new owners came to Hestøya in 1926. They were Torleif Arvid Olsen Garmannvik (1893-1963) and Thora Augusta Kristiansdtr. Tønder (1896-1948) with two children. They sold Hestøya to Torgeir Lund in 1928 and moved off the island. Since then, a couple of tenants have lived there. Ingar Emanuel Finvik (1908-1944) and Agnes Indiana Sverdrup, known as Agnes Vassli (1914-1994). Agnes Vassli grew up in Vasslian with her foster parents Bergitta and Konrad Vassli. They had no children and it is said that Ingar took a shotgun and shot himself in the earth cellar.
Then came Andreas Westgård (1908-1945) and Synnøve Saksen (1914-1990). They brought three children with them to Hestøya.
After the war, a German mine clearance ship was located off Gardsøya in Fjærangen. Among other things, their task was to clear the minefield at Kjeøya. On May 26, 1945, Andreas was visited by two of the Germans in a small dinghy. He was allowed to join them on the way back, because he was going to Smineset. The small dinghy rolled around before they arrived; The Germans escaped ashore on Gardsøya, while Andreas drowned.
Photo: German minesweeper ship off Gardsøya in Fjærangen just after the war in 1945.
| Historical information about Hestøya (in Norwegian) |