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History
Bauker is the original
Military Captain’s farm residence in Gausdal. It was made the
main residence for the Captain of the Gausdal Corps in 1791. The
farm originates from the late Middle Ages; however, it became
disfunctional during the Black Death plague and was propertied
by the church. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may
come from the word “bauka” which means to dig or fumble. The
main house, which was built by Captain Peter Christian Ring in
1822, was protected by law in 1923. The state sold the farm in
1864 to the vicar Bernt Anker Leigh, married to Anna Coucheron.
From 1872 and the next
100 years Bauker was a tourist spot in many ways. From 1876 to
1960 it was run as a retirement home/tourist inn, first by Jacob
and Anna Marie Fredrikke Knudtssøn (Coucheron), later by their
daughter Elise. In 1941, her sister, the legendary Pella, and
her brother Paul took it over. The
main building was renovated and had 6 guestrooms in 1887,
later came the annexes “Grande” (the old Myra school which was built in 1848) and “Arken”,
when Bauker could gradually room 70 guests. There are also two
stabbur (storehouses on pillars) on the estate, one is
from 1756 and the other is from 1865 with a bell tower from
1900. The farming and tourist inn business were separated from
each other in 1960.
Many guests kept
returning year after year. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (famous
Norwegian poet) used Bauker as a “relief housing” for both
guests and family that visited his mansion Aulestad. He gave
Bauker a beautiful prism chandelier as payment for his
grandchildren Arne and Albert receiving tuition from the Bauker
house teacher during a winter. Unfortunately, the chandelier
moved with a later owner of Bauker to Sweden.
Before World War II, an
artist’s colony held house at Bauker from time to time. Amongst
them were famous people such as Oluf Wold-Thorne, Thorvald Erichsen,
Per Deberitz, Einar Sandberg, Severin Grande, Henrik Sørensen,
Alf Lundeby, Arnstein Arneberg, Clara Tschudi and Sigurd Hoel.
Bauker is situated on the geographical top of the “Spiritual
Hamlet” (free translation of “Åndsreppen”) where many artists
had been living. The poet Inge Krokann, the composer Sparre
Olsen, the painter Hallvard Blekastad and the writer Milada
Blekastad, who all settled in this hamlet, are the originators
of the “Spiritual Hamlet”.
The Captain’s Estate
Bauker is beautifully located at 500 meters above sea level in
Østre Gausdal, twenty minutes drive north-west from Lillehammer
and 10 minutes from Skeikampen and Peer Gyntvegen.
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