NILS OLSSON REPPEN – A PIONEER IN FJORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographer Nils Olsson Reppen was born in 1856 on the farm Reppen in Sogndal in western Norway. His pictures from the Sognefjord area from around year 1900 is a treasure that needs to be shared.

In 1882, Nils Olsson Reppen immigrated to America and worked as a photographer in Browns Valley and Morris in Minnesota. He returned to Norway in the late 1800´s and continued to work as a photographer in Sogndal, the village where he was born. Nils lived until 1925.

Visit Sognefjord

Visit Sognefjord is the official destination company for the Sognefjord area.

Pictures from the Sognefjord area by Nils Olsson Reppen

Phototographer Nils Olsson Reppen
Nils Olsson Reppen

Nils Olsson Reppen is said to have had two periods where he lived in the USA. The first time he moved to USA was in 1882. The second time was in 1895. In 1898, he moved back to Sogndal and lived in Tårnhuset in Sogndalsfjøra.

In 1965, Tårnhuset burned down to the ground and most of his glass plate negatives were lost. There are 424 negatives left from Reppen, they are stored at Fylkesarkivet in Vestland. Vik Lokalhistoriske Arkiv also have some of Nils Olsson Reppen´s photographies.

The pictures which is presented below is mainly from the nature, the farms, the mountain farms, the fjords and the villages in the Sognefjord area around year 1900.

Press the “i” on the pictures for more information. All the pictures are downloaded from Fylkesarkivet in Vestland´s album about Nils Olsson Reppen at Flickr. Thanks to Fylkesarkivet for digitalizing, archiving and sharing the pictures.

Reference/Author/Photo: Nils O. Reppen / Fylkesarkivet in Vestland
Copyright: Creative Commons

Self Portraits – Photographer Nils Olsson Reppen´s archive

The Sognefjord Area – Photographer Nils Olsson Reppen´s archive

Reference/Author/Photo: Nils O. Reppen / Fylkesarkivet in Vestland.

Sognefjord – What to See and Do

FJORDS NORWAY - The Sognefjord seen from Orrabenken in Balestrand
Sognefjord.

The Sognefjord, the king of the fjords, is the longest fjord adventure in Norway. The Sognefjord is 204 kilometres long and 1308 metres deep at its deepest.

Join a guided glacier walk on the Nigardsbreen glacier. Take a short hike to Mt Molden in Luster and you will get a fantastic view down towards the Lustrafjord. See the beautiful stave churches around the Sognefjord. Urnes Stave Church is one of them, it is located at Ornes by the Lustrafjord and is part of our common world heritage.

Join a fjord safari or a fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord. Experience the view from Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord. Flåm Railway has been named one of the ten most beautiful railways in the world. This is the train journey from fjord to mountain, and many people take the train ride both ways.

In the middle of the Sognefjord, where the fjord is at its widest and the mountains starts to rise, you’ll find Balestrand, an idyllic village down by the fjord. The fjord village of Fjærland is located deep in the Fjærlandsfjord. It is so beautiful there that it is almost unreal. Fjærland is also called The Norwegian Book Town because of all the book sales in the tiny village.

Borgund Stave Church was built around year 1181 AD. and is the most visited stave church in Norway. Close by is the old Vindhellavegen Road that runs between Borgund and Husum in the Lærdalen valley in Lærdal. The old Vindhellavegen Road is part of the old King´s Road between east and west in Norway.

The Fjærlandsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord, the Årdalsfjord and the Lustrafjord are all branches of the Sognefjord. These side fjords are perhaps even more famous than the Sognefjord itself, which is located in the middle of Western Norway. The Sognefjord is so long that it almost divides Norway in two.

References

Nils O. Reppen / Fylkesarkivet in VestlandCopyright: Creative Commons

 

HOTELS - ACCOMMODATION - LINKS

Here you will find an overview of recommended HOTELS in addition to SPA & BATH HOTELS and OTHER ACCOMMODATION PLACES in Western Norway. The combination of beautiful nature, activities that you can do in all four seasons and a stay at a great accommodation is unique. A stay in one of these places will do you good, both for body and mind.

There are ten restaurants that have awarded Michelin stars and Michelin awards in Western Norway. Eight of the Michelin restaurants are in Stavanger and two in Bergen. Here you will find FJORDS MICHELIN, where you will also find a list of recommended hotels in Western Norway, recommended by Michelin.

USEFUL LINKS is a list of websites with great information on Norway and the Fjords.

Nils Olsson Reppen lived in Norway and in USA – Map Overview