Early History at Hafslund
From ecclesiastical farmland to a prosperous noble estate
The name Hafslund is first recorded in a document from 1344, referring not to a single farm, but to a district – a stretch of land made up of several farms, collectively responsible for providing one man for military service.
In 1397, the name Hafslund appears again, this time in connection with recorded income from two farms owned by the Church, known as Store and Lille Hafslund. With the farming methods of the time, the land was demanding to cultivate and yielded only a modest return for its owner.
Throughout the 16th century, waterways were constructed and sawmills established along the Sarpsfossen. Rights to the waterfall are mentioned in several estate records, though without reference to the Hafslund name. By the end of the 1500s, as many as 17 sawmills had been built on the eastern side of the falls by various co-owners.
In 1594, the two Hafslund farms are once again recorded, situated to the north and south of one another. The Hafslund farms remained small and were likely of little particular significance or interest. Their location, however, was favourable, and the rights to the Sarpsfossen were highly sought after.
Around 1600, the nobleman Otte Bildt of Nes acquired most of the sawmills on the Hafslund side, along with both Hafslund farms and several neighbouring properties. He built a manor house in stone on the site where the main building stands today. In 1608, he was granted estate privileges by the Crown. From then on, Hafslund was a main estate with noble status.
His son, Daniel Bildt, styled himself “of Hafslund” and gathered the remaining waterfall rights under the estate, though profitability remained modest. When Daniel Bildt died without heirs, the estate was divided among several owners, yet Hafslund retained its status as a principal estate with estate privileges. Over time, the various shares were consolidated by the next owner, Werner Nielsen.
A merchant and official, Werner Nielsen was first and foremost a businessman. Together with his father-in-law, who owned Borregård, he would go on to develop Hafslund into one of the country’s most important timber industries and the largest estate in southern Norway.