A deserted farm (, , ) in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, and other
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
, is a farm that was left abandoned or unused for various reasons.
Terminology
In Norway, this term applies primarily to farms deserted due to the
Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
in 1349 and 1350.
[''Store norske leksikon'': ødegård.](_blank)
/ref> In many cases, the description of the farm as ''øde'' ('deserted') became part of the farm name for posterity when the farms came back into use again.Hole
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...
), ''Øde-Rud'' (in Nannestad
Nannestad is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Teigebyen.
History
Nannestad was established as a municipality on 1 Janua ...
), ''Hole-Ødegården'' (in Ringerike), ''Øde-Hval'' (in Ringerike and Modum
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).
The area has a long tradition of ...
), and simply ''Ødegården'' (''e.g.'' in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...
). A contracted variant of the name is ''Øygard'' (in Grimstad
Grimstad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the Grimstad (to ...
) or ''Øygarden'' (in Søgne
Søgne is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 2020 when it was merged with the municipalities of Songdalen and Kristiansand into the "new" Kristiansand municipality in what is now ...
).
The term ''ødegård'' is also used in Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, where starting in the 1950's, Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
residents began looking for abandoned and deserted small farms in Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
that they could buy or rent and use for the summer.
History
After the plague epidemics of the 1300s, the population of Norway fell by up to 64%. Because of the reduced population, people abandoned the lowest-quality and most isolated farms, working the better and more central farms instead. In the 1500s the population started growing again, and over the course of 150 years the population tripled in size. In order to support and house the continually increasing number of people, the deserted farms started being used again. There were conflicts over the ownership of the deserted farms, with questions about who actually owned them after they had sat abandoned for 200 years. Landowners claimed deserted farms in their area as their own. Land that had no owner was assigned to the crown. Those that cleared the old deserted farms therefore rented the land.[Sandmo, Erling. 2015. Bondesamfunnet i vekst. ''Norgeshistorie.no''.](_blank)
/ref> There was an abundance of land until the end of the 1600s. Then competition for resources began again, creating the basis for a new underclass of crofter
A croft is a traditional Scottish term for a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a ten ...
s.Orning, Hans Jacob. 2015. Ødegårdene. ''Norgeshistorie.no''
Taxation
Deserted farms in Norway were exempt from taxes for a transitional period after farming operations were resumed.
References
External links
* ttp://www.norgeshistorie.no/kirkestat/mennesker/1102-bondesamfunnet-i-vekst.html Sandmo, Erling. 2015. Bondesamfunnet i vekst. ''Norgeshistorie.no:''.
{{Authority control
Economic history of Norway
Medieval history of Norway
Farms