Hjemkomst Center

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Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center
Hjemkomst, which means "Homecoming" in Norwegian, is a replica Viking ship.jpg
Hjemkomst, which means "Homecoming" in Norwegian, is a replica Viking ship.
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Location in Minnesota
Established1985
LocationMoorhead, Minnesota, United States
TypeEthnographic museum
CollectionsHjemkomst Viking Ship, Hopperstad Stave Church replica, museum exhibits, county archives
Website Official website

The Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center, commonly known as the Hjemkomst Center, is a museum in Moorhead, Minnesota. Hjemkomst Center first opened in 1985 and serves as a home to Hjemkomst Viking Ship, Hopperstad Stave Church replica, quarterly museum exhibits, and county archives. In 2009, the Clay County Historical Society (which was founded in 1932) and the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center merged to form the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Hjemkomst is a replica Viking ship that was sailed from Duluth, Minnesota to Bergen, Norway in 1982. Hjemkomst is a replica Viking ship that was sailed from Duluth, Minnesota to Bergen, Norway in 1982.jpg
Hjemkomst is a replica Viking ship that was sailed from Duluth, Minnesota to Bergen, Norway in 1982.

Hjemkomst

Hjemkomst, which means "Homecoming" in Norwegian, is a replica Viking ship that is permanently housed in the center of the museum. The ship is a full-scale replica of the Gokstad Viking ship that was discovered in Norway in 1880. The idea for building Hjemkomst was that of Robert Asp (1923–1980), a guidance counselor at Moorhead Junior High School. Construction on Hjemkomst began in 1974 at the Leslie Welter Potato Warehouse in Hawley, Minnesota. The warehouse site was then transformed into the Hawley Shipyard during the construction. That same year, Asp became diagnosed with leukemia; however he still continued to build the ship; he had help from other volunteers. [4]

In July 1980, the Hawley Shipyard was torn down for the removal and christening of the completed ship. Hjemkomst was shipped overnight to Duluth, Minnesota, on August 5, 1980. Asp held the rank as captain during the ship's maiden voyage throughout Lake Superior until his death four months later on December 27, 1980. In May 1982, Asp's three sons and daughter along with eight members of Hjemkomst crew decided to sail Hjemkomst to Norway, which was Asp's original dream. The ship departed Duluth on May 11, 1982, and arrived in New York City on June 8, then arrived in Bergen, Norway, on July 19, and on August 9 arrived in Oslo. The ship stayed in Oslo for a year until it was transported back to Minnesota on MV Brunto. [5] [6]

Hopperstad Stave Church Replica

The Hopperstad Stave Church Replica is a replica of a Norwegian stave church located on the grounds of the Hjemkomst Center. The church was built in 1998 by Guy Paulson and was constructed of cedar, redwood, and pine. It is a full-scale replica of the 12th Century Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik, Norway. The church serves as a reminder of the Scandinavian heritage in the Red River Valley. [7]

Related Research Articles

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is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Gol which is also the population center. Gol was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The area of Hemsedal was separated from Gol in 1897 to become a separate municipality. The municipality of Gol is bordered to the north by the municipality of Nord-Aurdal, to the east by Sør-Aurdal, to the south by Nes, and to the west by Ål and Hemsedal.

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References

  1. "Hjemkomst Center". City of Moorhead, MN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  2. "Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County". Minnesota Digital Library. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  3. "Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County". Impact Foundation. 2015. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  4. Audrey Kletscher Helbling (2012). "One man's dream: Build it and it shall sail, the story of the Hjemkomst". Minnesota Prairie Roots. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  5. "Hjemkomst – (Yem-komst: Norwegian for Homecoming)". Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  6. "Viking Ship Replica". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  7. "The Hopperstad Stave Church". Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.

46°52′40″N96°46′42″W / 46.87778°N 96.77833°W / 46.87778; -96.77833