Preserves traditions
The Oselvar workshop takes care of the knowledge and history regarding the construction, use and repair of the Oselvar, Norway’s national boat.
Since the tradition has been unbroken for so long, all the old knowledge is intact.
The Oselvar workshop came into operation in 1997. At that time, the last two boat builders who made a living from building oselvarar were employed, together with two younger, professionally trained wooden boat builders who had not built oselvarar before. The young were to learn the oselvar tradition from the old.
Many apprentices have taken their trade test there since, three of them are today permanently employed as boat builders at Oselvarverkstaden. The boat builders can step by step follow their “professional family tree” back to Lars and Jørgen Tøsdal. Oselvarverkstaden thus takes care of a 270-year-old continuous boat building tradition in Os.
The workshop has an exhibition on the second floor. Groups can be given a tour of the exhibition and the workshop by appointment. Read more about visits to the workshop on this side.
