Hval (Ringerike)

Hval is a farm and a hamlet in Ringerike, Buskerud. The area lies north of Haugsbygd, south of Viul Manor and east of Hønefoss, the centre of the municipality of Ringerike. The old road Hvalsveien runs from Haugsbygd to Hval station, where it changes into Viulsveien in a junction between Hvalsmoveien (E16) and Viul. In the area lies both the former military camp of Hvalsmoen and the now closed Hval station.

History

It has existed a farm in the area since the early Middle Ages, and members of the Hval family has owned the farm since at least the 16th century. The farm has since been partly split into several lesser farms, but most of the area is still owned by several branches of the Hval family. In the 17th century the farm was split into 3 farms, including the main farm and Søndre Hval.

On 21 February 1893 the Norwegian Storting decided to acquire the area around Hvalsmoen, close to Randselva, as a drill ground for the Royal Norwegian Army's Engineering Regiment.

According to the national census Anders O. Hval, his family and their two servants lived on the main farm in 1900. By then the family had split of pieces of the land to different branches of the family, and there existed several other farms in the area in addition the main farm, including Søndre Hval, Hvalsengen and Øde-Hval. At the time the main farm consisted of the main farm house, the servants house, a barn, a blacksmith, two stabbur (storehouse) and a larger shed. These buildings stand today, and there have been several restorations and modernisations during the 20th century. Anders O. Hval was the son of Ole G. Hval and Thea Bølgen. His mother was a member of the Bølgen family, a prominent family in the area who owns the old farm Bølgen nearby. The Bølgen family descends from Tryg Hansen Bølgen, a descendent from the Stockfleth family and a great-grandson of the family's ancestor Eggert Stockfleth, through his son Jacob Stockfleth and grandson Hans Jacobsen. Thea's mother was Oline T. Bølgen, a paternal great-great-great-granddaughter of Tryg Hansen Bølgen, and a straight male line descendant from Eggert Stockfleth.

When the Bergen Railway was extended from Hønefoss to Roa in 1909, the new Hval station was built in the area, between Hvalsmoen and the main farm. Earlier it was an apple garden south of the main farm house, but it was turned into farmland sometime between 1970 and 1990. The railway station was closed in 1990, and is today only operative as crossing tracks. The station building is of the Sirnes-type, and is protected. Hvalsmoen military camp was operative for over 100 years before it closed down in 2001.