Art's Influence on Society

Long before recorded history, Mesolithic communities settled along the Glomma’s eastern banks, drawn by fertile soils and ample game; archaeological finds suggest permanent occupation at Hafslund stretching back more than 5,000 years, marking it as one of Scandinavia’s enduring habitation sites

During the Viking Age, the region formed part of Borgarsýsla (“the county of Borg”), with the nearby city of Sarpsborg—originally called Borg—founded by King Olav Haraldsson in 1016 at the Sarpefossen falls; this fortress-town connection underscores Hafslund’s strategic importance on routes linking inland settlements to the fjordlands

By the late Middle Ages, Hafslund had emerged as a crown farm—first documented in 1344—and later evolved into the stately Hafslund Manor (Hafslund Hovedgård) in 1761; successive owners, including the Gyldenhorn family and timber magnate Benjamin Wegner, shaped its gardens and baroque main house, now a protected monument alongside its English-style parklands

In modern times, Hafslund Manor stands among Norway’s finest 17th- and 18th-century estates, a cultural heritage site that welcomes visitors to explore its historic buildings and surrounding grove—truly fulfilling the promise of its Norse name by preserving a living “grove” of both natural beauty and storied human endeavor

‍