Bauker

History

Bauker as a dwelling originates from the Middle Ages; however, as the Black Death plague spread across Norway in middle 14th century it became disused and eventually it was taken over by the church. In 1791, the mansion Bauker was built for the Gausdal Military Company and became the residence for their captain. The main house was enlarged in 1822 by Captain Peter Christian Ring. The manor ceased to be the Captain's residence in 1864, when the Norwegian state sold it to vicar Bernt Anker Leigh Knudtssøn, married to Anna Coucheron. From 1876 to 1960 Bauker was run as a tourist inn, at some time part-owned by Liv Coucheron-Torp Heyerdahl Rockefeller and run by Pella Knudtssøn.

The main building was renovated in 1887 to include 6 guestrooms, the annexes "Grande" and "Arken" were later raised and Bauker could eventually accommodate 70 guests. ("Grande" was originally the first elementary school for the local neighborhood, built in 1848, known as "Myra Skole", later sold in 1896 for kr. 500,- to Jacob Knudsøn, taken down and rebuilt at Bauker around 1900.) The property also includes two stabbur, one dating from 1756, the other from 1865. In 1960, the farming and tourist businesses were separated.

Bauker's main building has been listed as National Heritage by the Norwegian state as early as 1923.

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (famous Norwegian poet and Nobel prize winner) used Bauker as a "relief housing" for both guests and family that visited his mansion Aulestad, a few kilometers down the road. His present to Bauker for this was a wonderful chandelier, which unfortunately followed a later owner to Sweden.

Many years later, Benedicte and Harald Thiis started here Norway's headquarters for humanistic and transpersonal psychology (Mandala Centre), a centre for "Unity and Inner Growth", using this splendid place as a "university" for teaching alternative forms of treatment and new spirituality. Psychodrama, massage, alternative medicine, yoga and dance were some of the teaching topics. Then Bauker became the spiritual centre for the Norwegian Bahá'í movement. The Thiis family sold the estate in 1993. The new owner and the Commune of Gausdal used the buildings as housing for political refugees for several years. After a fire burnt down the building "Arken" in 2003, the inhabitants had to move and the historical buildings were once more used for overnight stays and exclusive arrangements. In 2005 the manor was sold again.

Significance in art

Bauker was used as an artist's colony before World War II. Known Norwegian artists such as Oluf Wold-Thorne, Thorvald Erichsen, Per Deberitz, Einar Sandberg, Severin Grande, Henrik Sørensen, Alf Lundeby, Arnstein Arneberg, Clara Tschudi and Sigurd Hoel stayed there from time to time. Bauker is located in the middle of the "Spiritual Hamlet" (free translation of "Åndsreppen") where many artists had been living in the early 20th century. The poet Inge Krokann, the composer Sparre Olsen, the painter Hallvard Blekastad and the writer Milada Blekastad, who all settled in this hamlet, are the originators of the "Spiritual Hamlet". It is said that the writer Jonas Lie used Bauker as the setting for his most famous novel, "The family at Gilje", released 1883 (translated to English 1920).