Glomfjordtreffene

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Glomfjordtreffene is a non-commercial yearly convention where friends of Glomfjord, primarily those who have left Glomfjord participate.

It started out in June 1996 as an experiment and has continued due to great popularity and been kept alive by people with a strong connection to the Glomfjord community. See the paragraph below about the roots. The convention takes place mostly on the island "Gressholmen" in the fjord of Oslo in southern Norway. In 2000 and 2005, the gathering took place in Glomfjord. So far, there have been 10 conventions. The number of people showing interest in these conventions is 650. The last meeting in Glomfjord held 285 participants coming from the whole country and as far afield as the USA and Canada. The last meeting (June 2004) on Gressholmen had 75 participants.

The idea came up from Arthur Ellingsen and the initiative was carried out in cooperation with Arnveig Ellingsen, Unni Hansen Kragt and Bengt Jacobsen.

Why a Glomfjord convention? People from Glomfjord takes great pleasure in meeting each other on a yearly basis to renew friendships and get updated on latest development in Glomfjord. The number of members grows year by year and counted 650 names in late 2005. All friends of Glomfjord. Every year the convention is visited by local forces bringing news from Glomfjord.

Why on Gressholmen? The initiative was taken in the south-east of Norway. Oslo is central in this area and Gressholmen is central in Oslo, only a trip of 15 min. by boat from "Vippetangen" close to Oslo Central Station. The bistro and pub on the island is run by Viggo Bottolfsen who is from Glomfjord. It is thus easy to make local arrangements for food and drinks for the convention at a convenient price. The rabbit island provides fine natural, countryside surroundings.

Target participants Anybody can participate. ”Friends of Glomfjord” is a good description of who can participate. If you want to get news and updates from or related to Glomfjord then the convention is for you! It is clear that the "back to our roots" feeling and the wish to recall memories from our time in Glomfjord grows year on year. Nevertheless there is no upper or lower age limit. Some wish to return to Glomfjord if the opportunity comes up.

How to get in touch? On the webpage you will find necessary information, links and mail addresses. Use the guestbook of "Glomfjordtreffene".

[edit] Glomfjord - the Roots

The industrial community Glomfjord is like most industrial places in Norway. It developed on the basis of electric power production starting out in the bottom of Glomfjorden. It is located in the Nordland county of Norway, north of the Arctic Circle. It gave people work and thus economic security. Contact outside of Glomfjord was rather limited back in the time of the second world war. It developed over time with local boats, the steamliner "Hurtigruta" and car ferries in the south and in the north. The latest electric power development based on water from the glacier "Svartisen" resulted in more and better roads. Norsk Hydro, now YARA, receives raw material from outside Norway and ships fertilizers by sea.

In this small, safe community people grew together through many different activities like sports, music, and theater.
This spirit lives on in Glomfjord and "Glomfjordtreffene".