The background to the Norwegian House in Gorssel is particularly interesting, as it was bought as a self-build kit in Norway in 1913. In that sense you could say that Strømmen Trævarefabrik in Norway was a forerunnerof today’s Ikea. Customers could look through a catalogue and order a range of houses, as well as wooden churches, railway stations and even a sanatorium.
Norwegian romanticism
At the end of the 19th century a new architectural fashion arose in Scandinavia based on traditional wooden houses. This romantic movement came to be known by the name of Dragistil (Dragon Style), a reference to the dragon heads that used to adorn Viking ships. Strømmen Trævarefabrik of Oslo was one of the first big steam-powered sawmills to produce prefabricated houses in this style. They were easy to ship to the far cornersof this enormous country – and just as easily to foreign countries.
Residents
The residents of Gelderland had an opportunity to learn about this building system at an industrial art exhibition in Arnhem, in 1903, and in 1913, a Norwegian house was exported to Gorssel and assembled on site. It had all the modern facilities of the time, including runningwater and electricity. The house was owned for a time by Vloogenboom and Van Hasselt and was then acquired by Maria Büchner, who left it to a foundation for disabled children after her death.
DIY building kits
The Norwegian House in Gorssel is not the only DIY housein Gelderland. In the neighbouring Kring van Dorth district is De Kleine Haar, which is now being used as a youth hostel. This wooden house was a gift from the King of Norway to the Chief Forester of the Netherlands. It was built around 1910 in Diepenveen near Deventer, but in 1928, it was completely dismantled and moved to its current location. There are also two Norwegian houses in Beekbergen, purchased in 1908 and 1911. All of these houses were supplied by Strømmen Trævarefabrik in Oslo.
