The history of Stalheim
Governor Hannibald Schested established the postal route from Oslo over Fillefjell to Lærdal and Gudvangen, up to Stalheim and further to Voss and Bergen in 1647. The responsibility for delivering the mail was placed on the postman.
At appropriate distances from each other, there were post farms where the farmer was required to carry the mail to the next post farm. Stalheim was one such post farm from the very beginning.
These post farms soon became a natural stopping place for the few travelers who existed, where they could find food and drink and rest after a strenuous journey.
Stalheim Hotel in 1901
Found inspiration in wild and dramatic nature
Traffic along the post road, which was also called “The Bergen Royal Road”, increased throughout the 18th century, and around 1750 there was enough traffic to open the coach station at Stalheim.
From the early 19th century until today, a long line of painters, both famous and unknown, have found inspiration for their paintings in the wild and dramatic nature of Stalheim. The first two painters we know of who found their motifs here were the Danes Johannes Flintoe and Carl Lehman, who visited Stalheim in 1814 and 1824 respectively.
The most famous of all the Stalheim paintings, however, is probably Bergen resident JC Dahl's monumental painting "From Stalheim", painted in 1842 and which now hangs in the National Museum in Oslo.
Staleim Hotel in 1885
Hotel from 1885
The first hotel in Stalheim was opened in 1885, and already had room for over 150 guests in 1895. The hotel's high standard and the fantastic view from Stalheim soon became famous far beyond the country's borders.
Among many others, one of the Vestlandfjords' most famous tourists, Emperor Wilhelm II, visited Stalheim repeatedly.
In connection with an imperial visit in the mid-1890s, a memorial stone was erected, "In Commemoration of Emperor Wilhelm II's Visit to Stalheim", at one of the finest viewpoints in Stalheim, and the viewpoint was naturally given the name Wilhelmshøi.
The railway station and inn in 1750
Stalheim Hotel from the start of hotel operations in 1885
Stalheim Hotel in 1895
Stalheim Hotel in 1930
The hotel today
Today's hotel, the fourth in a series of hotels on the same site, has 124 comfortable rooms with space for 220 guests. The hotel's airy and bright lounges, furnished in a harmonious blend of exquisite European antiques and modern Scandinavian design, have a unique atmosphere characterized by tradition and comfort.
