Svanøy Hovedgård

Stavang, Norway, Norway

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Svanøy Hovedgård on Svanøya island near Stavang, Norway, traces its roots to medieval times as property of the Bergen bishopric, becoming crown land after the 1537 Reformation and renamed from Bru farm. In 1662, it was sold to Copenhagen Bishop Hans Svane, whose widow gained noble seat rights in 1685, renaming it Svanøy after him and establishing it as a birk until 1821; later owners included noble Severin Seehusen de Svanenhielm until confiscation in 1724. The protected main building, a two-story hipped-roof structure from around 1750 updated circa 1820, expanded under Haugianer Hans Nielsen Hauge into West Norway's premier estate with self-sufficient mills, sawmills, boatyard, and saltworks, later featuring copper mining until the 1920s; today managed by Svanøy Stiftelse since 1972, it offers historic tours and local cuisine.