A BRIEF HISTORY OF VENABU

It was in May 1947 that Birgit and Arvid Tvete bought the land where the present Venabu Fjellhotell is situated. Arvid was the youngest of 6 boys and lived in Vingrom, just south of Lillehammer. His parents, as well as being teachers, managed Solvang Pensjonat (guest house) with 21 guest rooms. Arvid graduated from hotel school in Oslo in 1939 and studied economics during the war. In 1945 he began work at Victoria Hotel in Lillehammer. During 1946/47 he worked at Wadahl høyfjellshotell; thereafter all energies were used in realising his dream of his own hotel.

In 1948 he wrote a 12 sided document to the state office for hotel and tourism stating, "The mountains have always attracted me and I visit them at the slightest opportunity. I am therefore used to the mountains and have long thought about plans to own and run my own tourist place in the mountains. I will run this together with my wife, who shows the same enthusiasm, and with time build up a first class tourist establishment where I have now just begun"

The very first guest book shows that Venabu was officially opened 18th February 1950 and that Birgit and Arvid had managed to create a lodging with good atmosphere and standard.

Our 50th anniversary gives us a chance to ensure that Venabu's history is not lost and make some of it more available for all. We have found many of the first documents hidden away in long lost trunks and cases, in lofts and in cellars. We also have found many of Birgit's first architectural drawings, menu's and plans. We hope that all our guests who have found themselves attached to Venabu in some way will have pleasure in reading this history or visiting us again to see some of the items displayed.

VENABU CHRONOLOGICALLY:

• 1947 First building set up on site.

• 1949 Building divided into rooms and extended.

• 1950 Venabu fjellstue opens with 13 bedrooms.

• 1952 Annexe is built.

• 1955 Private house (hytta) is built.

• 1957 Extension with 5 new bedrooms.

• 1962 Venabu becomes sole ownership of A.Tvete a.s.

• 1964 East wing built. Extension to dining room and hall.

• 1967 80 square metres cafeteria and dance hall added.

• 1972 Skistall added. Winter road open to Venabu.

• 1976 Original wooden building dismantled. West wing built.
  New sewage system. Venabu becomes classified as Mountain hotel.

• 1978 New building for the staff is built. Later to be self-catering accommodation.

• 1980 House built for Line.

• 1981 Cellar divided up into usable rooms (sauna, solarium, etc).

• 1983 Lars and Line take over control of Venabu.

• 1993 Connected to municipality's sewage system. Improvements for the 1994 Olympics.

• 1994 Private sewage building changes use to stable for 8 horses.

• 1996 Part of the land owned by Venabu taken out for building of hire-cabins.

• 1997 Extension of Venabu's land by 6 acres for horse activities and cabins.

• 1999 Expansion of reception area - souvenir shop moved up, new entrance
   

Lars V. Tvete
22nd May 1997