Brandbu

Augedal farm at Brandbu

Brandbu is a village in the municipality of Gran in Oppland county, Norway.

Brandbu is located in the traditional district of Hadeland. It was earlier known as "Augedalsbro" (Bridge at Augedal). Locals still commonly refer to the village as "Brua" (the bridge). Brandbu was a parish (sogn) in earlier times and later a municipality of its own. The municipality of Brandbu was merged with the municipality of Gran on January 1, 1962. Today Brandbu is part of the urban area called Brandbu/Jaren.[1]

The parish church is Nes Church located on the northern side of Røykenvik in Gran. Røykenvikbanen (the railway of Røykenvik) with Brandbu Station was operated from 1900 to 1957 connection to Røykenvik by Randsfjorden. The station building has since been demolished. From the top of Brandbukampen (522 meters above sea level), originally a volcano from the Permian Period, there is a wide view of Brandbu and the villages surrounding it. Just by the center of Brandbu lies the lower secondary school of Brandbu as well as the upper secondary school of Hadeland, Brandbu department.

Augedalsbro

Augedalsbro, also called Åvedalsbro, is an ancient place for a bridge that crossed Augedalselva (also known as the Vigga River). There was a lift station there in older times. This was where the old and new Bergensveien (Bergen road) met and Høgkorsveien (high cross road) went from here and over to Toten. Although the place for a bridge was moved to Rosendal a bit further up the river in the mid-1800s, Augedalsbro continued to be a lift station. The site was also the meeting place for the municipal council in the old municipality of Brandbu. Nearby is the Old Molstad mill (Molstadkvern mølle) from 1915, today a part of Hadeland Folkemuseum.

Augedalsbro is also the motive for the painting Augedals bro by Gerhard Munthe (1897).

References

  1. Slektshistorielaget.no:Kilder:Gran:Innledning (in Norwegian), visited October 28th, 2007

Coordinates: 60°25′15″N 10°30′24″E / 60.42083°N 10.50667°E