Hengjane
Experience history and nature at Hengjane, a former mountain farm with roots dating back to the 1600s. From illegal moonshine to spectacular rock formations, this tourist attraction has something for everyone.
Hengjane is a historic mountain farm dating back to the 17th century when it was used as a summer pasture.
Ola Folkeson from Setesdal was the first person to clear land at Hengjane. He did so without permission and became a tenant farmer under Bratteli. Tore Olsson, his son, then took over the farm, followed by Ane Olsdatter and her husband Andreas Torkelson.
In 1912, the sisters Sikke Gurina Andreasdatter and Thea Olava Andreasdatter purchased Hengjane from Bratteli with money from a relative in America, making it a separate property.
Heinrich Friedrich Kristian Mohr, also known as the Hengjane German, arrived at Hengjane in 1914. When World War I broke out, Mohr chose not to return to Germany. Mohr heard about Sikke, who lived alone at Hengjane, and was well received when he climbed up Hengjajuvet to visit her.
Mohr married Sikke in a civil ceremony in 1917, and they had a child in 1918 who died shortly after birth. Mohr was a hard worker and engaged in various activities, such as logging, road construction, building a cable car down to the sea, and a pier. He also produced moonshine, which he sold in Stavanger and Jørpeland. Mohr’s distillery was hidden at the edge of the cliff overlooking Lysefjorden.
The sheriff made several attempts to stop Mohr’s illegal production of alcohol. Finally, in 1921, he succeeded. The sheriff paid a visit to the farm dressed in plain clothes and requested Sikke to serve him a drink. When she obliged and served him alcohol, he revealed his true identity and compelled her to disclose the location of the distillery, allowing him to seize the distilling equipment.
Mohr turned to fishing to make a living but was later arrested for robbery and attempted murder of a fisherman from whom he was purchasing a boat. In 1930, Mohr was declared insane and sentenced to nine years in prison before being sent back to Germany in 1932. Sikke lived alone at Hengjane from 1922 until her death in 1934.
Today, Hengjane is a popular tourist attraction in Lysefjorden, attracting tourists with HengjanenibbÃ¥ and Hengjanefossen, also known as “Whisky Falls.” The spectacular HengjanenibbÃ¥ mountain formation provides stunning views of Lysefjorden, while the walls of Neverdalsfjellet and HengjanenibbÃ¥ are great for observing birds of prey such as the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle.
Visit Hengjane
Hengjane is a historic mountain farm with origins dating back to the 17th century. Once owned by the Andreasdatter sisters and later known for the intriguing life of Heinrich Friedrich Kristian Mohr. Today, it attracts tourists with its breathtaking HengjanenibbÃ¥ mountain formation and “Whisky Falls” (Hengjanefossen).
