From Amundsen Hotel to the Hollandske Gjestehus (the Dutch Guesthouse)
Vinstra
It was in 1890, that the government took the decision to build a rail track. The residents in Gudbrandsdalen who anticipated the rail track bringing new investments and economic growth to the area received this decision with enthusiasm.
In 1896 the rail station was ready in Vinstra. The continuation of the rail track north to the village ' Otta ' was further completed in 1896.
K. Amundsen Privathotell 1905
In 1895, in the municipality of Nor-Fron there were four establishments offering overnight accommodation and by 1904 this number had increased to 16, the same number as in the municipality of Sør-Fron. Berthe and Knut thought that there was a need for more accommodation and that they should open their own hotel.
After some consideration in 1905, Berthe and Knut Amundsen paid (NOK) 1000 Norwegian Krowns for a ground plot of approx. 5,000 m3 with the intention to build a hotel. The plot lay favourably close to the route linking Oslo to Trondheim and conveniently to the new Sundbrua Bridge in the village of Vinstra.
Berthe and Knut had not been married long before they started a family; they had a daughter, Margit Kristine, born 21 August 1903.They were both middle-aged Berthe was 41 and Knut was 53 years old and had already three previous marriages.
Both had experience of running their own businesses, at the back of the local worker association building. "Lømo", Berthe was running a coffee shop on one side and Knut had a tailor’s clothing business on other..
Berthe Smeby, as she was named before her marriage to Knut, had been the cook at the ' Vinstra Hotell ‘, which had opened in 1886. In 1887 King Oscar II visited the owners Rønnaug and Paul Hvattum and it was possible that he enjoyed Berthes’ culinary skills.
They bought the ground plot from the owner of the Vinstra Hotell and discussed what they would build. Probably on the advice and agreement with Paul E. Hvattum they decided on the construction of a Private Hotel. The intention being that they would not be in direct competition with the Vinstra Hotell, but offering more of a good supplement. Shortly it became established as a bed and breakfast establishment for local overnight stays catering mainly for the road and railway traveller.
In 1905, the construction of the Private Hotel was started and quickly finished ready for the first guests. The building comprised two floors and a cellar with ten guest bedrooms. The majority of the guests staying came from the Vinstra valley. They came to Vinstra to trade in the village and bring in corn to be ground at the Loholet .
It is approx. 30 km from the plateau village of Skåbu to Vinstra and in those days that was considered a large distance. For this reason many people would spend the night in Vinstra. Also they would stay over for important ecclesiastical (church: marriages etc) events in Vinstra and staying at the Amundsen establishment was highly favoured. Many came on foot to Vinstra, and again it was not practical to try to walk back in the same day. To supplement the running of the hotel Berthe and Knut Amundsen had some agriculture ground and over years kept cows, pigs and chickens plus a cat to catch the mice! The barn for the animals was near the bridge. Knut Amundsen was also still active working as a tailor.
In 1901, in the lower garden of the present Gjestgiveri Amundsen there was a wooden maisonnette named` Byhre Bad.’ Sited by the river Lågen it was here that it had been possible for the local population and traveller to take a shower. In 1909, Knut and Berthe Amundsen also took over the running of this bathhouse.
Berthe with her experience was mainly responsible for running the hotel. There were many women in the hotel trade but without question the most well known in the area was daughter Margit Amundsen.
The Amundsen Private Hotel prospered especially when more and more tourists came to visit the area, especially train travellers who came to Vinstra. Then the hikers travelling to Skåbu or to Sikkilsdalen and the Jotunheimen would gladly spend the night. In 1905 the cost of transport by horse from Vinstra to Kampesæter was charged at NOK 4.50 for each passenger. A two-wheel carriage driven by one horse would cost a passenger NOK 0.17 for each driven kilometre.
On the 10th august 1915, 10 years after the establishment of the Amundsen Private Hotel Knut Amundsen died. Berthe was now only running the hotel, daughter Margit wanted to more with the hotel and mother and daughter agreed that the hotel was developed and modernised.
From 1926 Margit managed the hotel until her mothers’ death on 22 March 1930, when she took over the hotel ownership. The transfer sum was CAM 15,000, -
In 1929, Jenny Haukåsveen a cousin of Margit came from Ringsaker to work as a cook. She had a daughter named Aud who was born on 10th June 1929. Aud was raised up at The Amundsen Hotel and took the name Amundsen as a surname. Jenny worked as the cook for many years and become engaged with Paul Løkken from Sødorp but he died to tuberculosis before they married. Eventually Jenny married someone from the Telemark district and left Vinstra.
Amundsens Hotell 1939
It took 25 years for Margit's dream of the renewed Amundsen Hotell to be realised. The architect Øivind Lande from Lillehammer was given the task to completely remodel the hotel. Financing had been regulated and building contractor Anders Haverstad from Ringebu got the job to make the alterations.
In 1939 Vinstra got a new and modern hotel with fourteen bedrooms to accommodate up to twenty- five guests; a modern institution; centrally heated and hot and cold water running water in every bedroom. The old nameplate ` K. Amundsens Privathotell ' was replaced over the entrance door by the new sign` Amundsens Hotell.
The War Years 1940-1945
In the spring of 1940 the Amundsen Hotell was damaged twice. The first by a German fighter-bomber dropping a bomb on road no. 50 slightly northern of the railway bridge. All windows at one side of the hotel were broken by the blast except for one window. At the time there was a woman stood looking out of this window.
A number of days later, on 24 April as German armed forces approached Vinstra Norwegian engineers blew up the Sundbrua Bridge. Then all windows with casings on the other side of the hotel were blown out with a lot of damage. The repairs were carried out in the summer of 1940 so that the hotel could re-open.
The Royal Amundsens Hotell
It was common knowledge that the Royal family would spend Easter holidays 1946 hiking from their maisonnette in Sikkilsdalen. The Royal family arrived in Vinstra on the night train and were then taken to the Amundsen Hotel. At the Amundsen Hotel they wanted to have breakfast before travelling by car to Skåbu and then onto to their maisonnette in Sikkilsdalen by caterpillar vehicle. In Vinstra all the locals were pleased to greet the royal family. There were huge crowds lining the route from the train station to the Amundsen Hotell. Music was played by the local music association ` Vinstra Musikklag and national anthems and folk songs were sung.
Inside the Hotel Margit Amundsen had been preparing and was slightly nervous of receiving her royal visitors. No bookings had been accepted for daily occupation as she was going to be too busy looking after the royal breakfast. Of course everything went well and at Easter over the coming 40 years the Royal house breakfasted many times at Amundsen Hotell. Not only breakfast, but also evening meals when the Royal family went home again. After their evening meal the Royal family retired to a special comfortable sleeping car, which had been coupled to the night train.
The evening meal was much to the taste of the royal family. Typically a starter would be a salmon dish followed by a main course of venison and wild game and crème with local wild bilberries as a dessert. It was a cordial relationship between the hostess of the Amundsen Hotell and the royal house and they had a lot of pleasant personal conversations together.
The construction of a nearby hydroelectric power station ensured that the Amundsen Hotel was fully occupied for a number of years. In 1947 construction was completed and the Vinstra are benefited from the investment. Vinstra became an important trading centre with many shops and higher education schools.
Margit Amundsen had managed the hotel up to 1974. She then transferred the hotel ownership over to Jan and Svein Muri the sons of Aud Amundsen and Martinius Muri. Aud and Martinus had built their own hotel in Olden The Olden Fjordhotell. Eventually the sons took over management of the Fjordhotell in Olden, and the parents Aud and Martinius Muri returned back to Vinstra and managed the Amundsen Hotell.
Margit Amundsen died on 25th March 1984.
