The story of Fossheim Hotel – The story of a familyIn 1906 the Langehaug family welcomed their first guests to Fossheim. At that time the hotel consisted of six rooms, and functioned as a combined private residence and guesthouse. At the same time here was a village shop, and farming with six cows, one pig, a horse and twenty chickens.
Erik Trondsen Langehaug, and his wife Karoline, ran the place until 1936 when their son Knut E. Langehaug took over. Knut started rebuilding the village shop, and in 1939 a new hotel was completed. In 1946 a gas station was set up in connection to Fossheim. The station was run by MIL until 1948 when BP took over. Later Norol, and then Statoil, ran it until it was dismantled in 1999. Many gas stations were shut down in the districts at this time. The farming was wind up in 1952. From that time tourism, and the gas station, were their livelihood. In 1961 the barn was rebuilt. The ground floor was turned into a cafeteria while guestrooms where put up upstairs. The cafeteria was run for nine years, until 1971, when it was turned into guestrooms as well. Knut’s son, Erik, and his wife Aashild, took over the running in 1965. In 1983 they were joined by their son Knut Erik, who today, together with his wife, Ellen Eitrheim, carries on the traditions as the fourth generation. |
Cultural historyHemsedal is a valley filled with contrasts. Wild mountains, soft valleys, thundering waterfalls, calm streams, shiny tarns, cold mountain lakes, strong breezes, calm rain, sunny days and snowy storms. For almost 9000 years people have lived in this beautiful landscape. Reindeer hunters, farmers, carpenters, teachers, pastors, politicians and tourist hosts.
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