More and more people are visiting the Wittgenstein House in Skjolden
Text and photo: Eli Hansen Moen
Visitors to the Wittgenstein House in Skjolden are increasing steadily every year. By 2025, the number is expected to exceed 3,500. This is a very pleasing, positive growth.
Since the spring of 2022, the foundation has registered hikers who go up to the Wittgenstein House in the period May-October. The first year there were 2733 registrations, in 2023 2974 were registered and last year the counter stopped at 3272. This is roughly a 10% increase each year, which is very pleasing. It is actually 11 times more than the population of the village.
The number has not increased for tourists and others who go up out of season. The real number is probably somewhat higher. In 2025, they will register all visitors throughout the year for the first time, and then the number will be more or less the same from year to year. And the trend is that more and more Norwegians are opening their eyes to the unique place above Eidsvatnet where the house is located.
Increased wear
The increase in visitors to the Wittgenstein House has also presented challenges. The path up to the house has become increasingly worn, the rope to hold on to quickly wears out, and the door lock literally broke in the middle of last year's high season. In addition, there are more people who want personal guidance than the Foundation has capacity for. In order to maintain both safety and the landscape, it is absolutely necessary to take some measures.
The area is protected by the National Agency for Cultural Heritage, so it is not entirely straightforward to improve the trail. The old rope has already been replaced with a composite product that looks like a typical rope of the time, but is a reinforced version. In addition, they have been forced to protect the rope with plastic channels where the rope rubs directly against the rock cliffs. The experience so far has been good. Improving the trail will be a high priority in the future.
Not a walk in the park
Still, there are some who think it's "a walk in the park" to get up to the house. Unfortunately, that's not the case for everyone. With visitors from almost the whole world, there are some who are simply a little too poorly prepared. They are surprised that it can be muddy, that it is slippery, steep and rough, and many are plagued by a fear of heights. Still, we believe in more visitors in 2025.
In a small micro-statistic on those who rent keys, most visitors came from Norway, Germany, the USA/Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, but there were also long-distance visitors from both Iran and Singapore last year. During the season, visitors can rent keys to the house at both Coop Marknad Skjolden and at Vassbakken Kro og Camping. The proceeds go entirely to take care of the trail and the surrounding area. The foundation is otherwise founded on volunteer work, and the foundation welcomes anyone who wants to contribute, either financially and/or by volunteering.