THE 
American-Scandinavian 
Review 
Volume X March, 1922 Number 3 
Old Roof-Trees At Maihaugen 
By Hanna Astrup Larsen 
Low and dark and somber the old houses cluster around the tarn 
on Maihaugen. Their heavy timber walls, of a bleak, well-weathered 
gray on the shady side, changing to velvety brown or pitch black where 
the sun has stung them, bear witness of Nature’s harshness even in 
her summer moods. Below us is the town of Lillehammer with the long 
sinuous glitter of Lake Mjosen stretching far out into the broad, pleas¬ 
ant land; but the old buildings on the hill have been brought from out¬ 
lying mountains and valleys of Gudbrandsdalen to form the open air 
museum, and a sense of their native climate clings to them. Even in 
the freshness of a Norwegian June, with the birches trailing their 
light-green fringe over the darkened walls and with the shimmer of 
wild pansies on the sod roofs, it is easy to imagine them almost hidden 
under snow and with their tiny window-panes admitting only a feeble 
light. They have such a look of being built to keep out the cold. 
The human dwelling grew up around the fire-place, according to 
Dr. Anders Sandvig, the creator and custodian of the museum at 
Maihaugen. As we follow him through the little village, the small 
timbered houses, which to begin with all looked alike, become differ¬ 
entiated ; we trace the evolution of the house from a mere shell around 
the fire to the many-roomed mansion, and we see how the architecture 
is determined by the “heating-plant.” 
First there was the aarestue , of which the museum has two speci¬ 
mens, one from 1440, the other still older. There the fire occupied a 
raised platform in the middle of the room and was the central point 
around which the household gathered for warmth, light, food, and 
social life. Everything pertaining to the fire had significance. The 
stranger stood by the hearth while telling his errand. The dead were 
carried three times around it before being taken out for burial. The 
only light in the room came from the fire and from the smoke-hole 
