Kjenndalstova

INFO

Kjenndalstova is a Cafe located in the Kjenndal Valley at the end of the Lovatnet (Loen Lake). The season runs from May to September. We take individual tourists, parties and groups. We also offer by prior arrangement, a complete package, which includes a boat trip and a visit to the Kjenndalstova. In Kjenndalstova we lay great value on providing home made dishes from the traditional Norwegian Cuisine.

ABOUT

Kjenndalstova AS owned by Jan Ove Hogrenning and Ingvill Tronrud. We run the Cafe at the end of the Loen Lake as well as the MS Kjenndal, the boat which runs on the Loen Lake. We offer guided tours, which explain the history of the villages of Bødal and Nesdal which were completely destroyed during the catastrophes of 1905 and 1936 as well as offering general information about Lodalen and Kjenndal. It is also possible to rent bikes, rowing boats and canoes from Kjenndalstova.

MENU

You will find that our menu offers a variety of home made cakes, a Waffle buffet, lunch and evening meals. Our speciality is traditional Norwegian Cuisine, with emphasis on dishes from the region. Fresh Trout from the Loen Lake caught by ourselves, the traditional rømmegrøt with spekemat (a Norwegian speciality made from warm sour cream and savoury meats), as well as homemade cakes are permanently available from our menu. We also permanently offer the following choices for lunch

• Fried trout from the Loen lake

• Rømmegrøt

• Venison burgers

  …and much more

Hogrenning holiday chalets

INFO

Info here is coming soon…

BOOKING

Our Cabins:

Boat trip

INFO

The MS Kjenndal II takes you on a trip from Sande at the lower end of the Loen Lake to Kjenndalsanden, where Kjenndalstova is located where you can enjoy delicious waffles and hot coffee or lunch before the boat returns you to Sande. The complete trip takes around 4 hours. For more information, please use the link for MS Kjendal. It is also possible to charter the MS Kjendal for your own trip.

ABOUT

The MS Kjenndal II is our own tourist boat. The boat has space for 100 passengers and travels between Sande, located at the top of the Loen Lake and Kjenndalsanden at the bottom of the Loen Lake where Kjenndalstova is located. The boat trip is a spectacular experience for seeing both the valley and the surrounding nature. The trip passes the famous Ramnefjell and Utigardsfossen which are ranked 11 in the list of the ”Worlds most Famous Waterfalls”. The waterfall is especially spectacular when the water levels in the lake are high.

BOOKING

You can also send us an email at post@kjenndalstova.no or give us a call on +47 905 34 087.

The History of Ramnefjell

On the 15th of January 1905, a part of the 1500m high Ramnefjell mountain collapsed, causing the death of 62 people. A further landslide occurred on the 13th of September 1936 during which 74 persons died.

All the Houses were destroyed

The flood wave reached a height of 40 metres and washed away all the houses in Ytre Nesdal. This also occurred in Bødal, where all the houses on the lakeshore (with the exception of a few sheds and out houses) were destroyed. The tourist boat “Lodalen” was washed 350 metres onto land. A total of 24 persons lost their life during the night of the avalanche in Bødal. 3 further persons died later from their injuries. 34 people died in Nesdal. Only 9 bodies were recovered and buried. The avalanche in 1905 destroyed a total of 60 houses as well as killing 94 cattle, 10 horses, 145 sheep and 16 pigs. A monument was built in Nesodden, which was destroyed by the avalanche of 1936. After the first disaster, a part of the local population considered leaving the valley. The farms and houses, however, were rebuilt further away from the lakeshore, since the Geologists were of the opinion that no further rock slide from Ramnefjell was to be expected.

The Loen Disaster of 1936

A volume of one million cubic metres of rock broke off the Ramnefjell in 1936. The flood wave washed away all the houses on Loen Lake. The Ramnefjell after the avalanche in 1936. A further avalanche from Ramnefjell on the 13th of September at 5 a.m. caused the death of 74 people.

Flood Wave 70 Metres High

At this point a huge mass of rocks, about 1 million cubic metres, broke out of the rock face from a height of 800 metres. The flood wave was 70 metres high and washed away all the houses on Lake Loen.

Rescue Teams Recovering a Victim

This time the wave was so high that it washed away the monument built in 1905, although it had been fixed firmly in the rocks at the highest point of Nesodden.

The Greatest Natural Disaster of Recent Times

44 persons died in Bødal. The houses in Nesdal which had been rebuilt higher up the shore after the disaster of 1905 remained undamaged. The Fredsvoll farm located close to the shore was washed away. The catastrophe drew many spectators to the area, in addition to the rescue teams and helpers. 3 people died. 23 people lost their life in Indre Nesdal. The flood wave caused great damage further down the lake. Two young boys lost their life in Sande, and in Osnes 2 persons were killed. The Lodalen catastrophe was the greatest natural disaster, which occurred in recent times. After the catastrophe a large scale rescue operation was started and many rescue and medical teams came to help. Many of the injured were taken to the newly opened Nordfjord hospital in Nordfjordeid. In addition, sea planes were used to transport the injured to the hospital.

National Call for Donations for the Survivors

Crown Prince Olav (in uniform) took part in the funeral ceremony. It was assumed that the damage from the flood wave cost around half a million Kronen. Donations were collected around the country to help the survivors. Crown Prince Olav took part in the funeral ceremony in the Church in Loen where 4500 people assembled to pay their respects to the victims. The service was broadcast nation wide. One of the wreaths came from Tafjord in Sunnmøre, where two years earlier a rock slide and flood wave cost 40 life: “And again came a wave when the scars should be healing. Mourning and tears followed. We share that with you. Our condolences! The people in Tafjord.”

Not rebuilt again

The farms in Bødal and Nesdal were not rebuilt after this catastrophe.

Commemorative Plaque

On the road between Bødal and Kjenndal, a commemorative plaque can be found, which is made of copper with all the names of those who remained lost after the catastrophes of 1905 and 1936 in Lodalen.