The Bjørnerem Caves
Think back in time to just after the birth of Christ. At that time there were already people living out here and possibly even long before that. Here, at the foot of the mountain are the Bjørnerem caves where the earliest inhabitants of Midsund probably lived, Bjørnerem caves are one of the most important cultural heritage sites that we have in Midsund. Entry to the biggest, Saue ‘sheep’ cave can easily be reached via a path from the road. You can also find an information sign there.
Around 80 metres south west of the Saue cave is the Geit ‘goat’ cave and around 20 to 30 metres further to the southwest Lillehelleren ‘little cave’. Saue cave is so named because it was used earlier as a sheep barn. This is one of the caves that were best suited to human habitation. The cave is around 21 metres long, 3 metres wide and 10 metres high.
But what did the people who lived here live off? In 1912 some partial excavations were carried out in two of the caves. They discovered all together the remains of 55 types of animals, birds and fish, including many species that can no longer be found on the island, or are extinct, including squirrels, wolves, bear, beavers and vultures.
A human bone was also discovered, it is estimated that the last cave dwellers lived here around 400 AD. The cave has great acoustics and there have been many magnificent concerts held here. A trip here can show us how the country has changed throughout many thousands of years and how our ancestors lived.
Audio guides available in:Norsk bokmål, English (British)
