Rundt selve hytta finner du et vennlig, småkupert terreng, og lenger unna høyreiste nuter og daler med topper opp i 1400 meters høyde. Sommerstid er det mulig å ta båt fra Synken over Mår helt fram til hytta, eller man kan gå inn. Hytta er et naturlig stoppested under en hytte-til-hyttetur på Hardangervidda, men området innbyr også til flotte dagsturer.
Contact information Mårbu
In season
Address: 3656 Atrå
Phone: 90 11 80 56
E-mail: marbu@dnt.no
The history of Mårbu tourist cabin
From ancient times
In the time before 1917, when the large Måre dam was completed, there was "only" a river flowing from Kosadalen and Hette past Mårbulægeret. This was also the ford of the South Norman Slepa. Finds have been made here from the Stone Age 4-5000 years f.Kr. Coins from the 16-1700s have also been found here.
The Norman tows bound the regions together. 1000 years ago when the Ynglinga dynasty gathered Norway together with travel arteries from Skiringsdal in Tjølling to Kaupangen in Eidfjord. Mårbuvadet and Skartåkervollen (where Mårbu is located today) were a natural stop on the tow that comes down from Hette. Here there were grazing opportunities and fishing opportunities. At times there was also a dancing area here (right in front of where the boat docks today). The tow continues east up the other side towards Sønstevann.
Søndre Normannslepa meets Store Normannslepa in the west at Sandbuvollen about 2 days' march west from Mårbuvadet. Sandbuvollen was therefore one of the major trading posts on the plateau.
Early drivers of Mårbu. Uncertain when the picture is dated.
There were 2 forest candidates (Yngvar Lie and Julius Hvoslef) who owned Mårboden before 1922. The marten shed was built when it stood on Kristi and Sigrid Prestegaarden's grounds.
Kristi and Sigrid Prestegaarden had a large property called Shirthavnen. They ran a summer farm at Shirtsetra, and rented out hunting and fishing rights.
Yngvar Lie and Julius Hvoslef transferred Mårboden to the Skien-Telemark Trekking Association in 1922. In 1928, free use of land was agreed upon in exchange for Sigrid Prestegaarden (Even's grandmother) using the cabin for 14 days for hunters who had rented hunting rights. The Norwegian Trekking Association bought the boat "HANS" in 1929 to transport tourists. Sigrid Prestegaarden undertook to run this. She had to keep the scheduled schedules.
In 1930, Sigrid Prestegaarden bought Mårboden and entered into an agreement with the Norwegian Trekking Association. 6 beds were to be set aside for tourists who were also entitled to catering at "tourist association standard and prices".
In 1935, a letter of intent was signed with Georg Prestegaarden (father of Even) in which the Skien - Telemark Trekking Association would be allowed to set up a tourist cabin as compensation for Mårboden.
After the war, interest in hiking in the mountains was greatly increasing. For a long time, there had been disagreement about where the county border between Buskerud and Telemark ran on Hardangervidda. In 1948, it seemed that it had been clarified that Mårbu was located in Buskerud. Mår was then in DOT's area, and the associations agreed on it. Planning for a new cabin started. 20 acres of Skartåkervollen were conceded. An agreement was made that Georg and Marie Prestegaarden would be the managers of a new cabin. However, after the war, access to building materials was poor, and building permits were therefore not granted. Although DOT was allowed to buy a barracks from Måranleggene for NOK 1, a building permit was not granted until 1955. DOT had waited for more than 5 years, and the site was fully excavated. On July 13, 1957, the cabin was ready with 36 beds. The cabin had cost kr. 235 985. In 1958, the national meeting of the Norwegian Trekking Association was held at Mårbu. Marie and Georg Prestegaarden were managers until 1960, when Randi and Even Prestegaarden took over.
The border dispute over the county border continued in a number of courts. In 1970, the Supreme Court ruled that Mårbu Turisthytte is located in Telemark. Mårboden (Gamle Mår) is located in Buskerud. DOT is now building a plot of land by Mårfjell Sameie and descendants of Gunhild Traen.
Randi and Even resigned as managers in 1998. In 1999, Merete Bekkeseth and Øyvind Brandsgård worked. After that, Leela M Guenin was manager until 2003. Jan Tyssebotn and Brita Gjerde hosted from 2003, Tor Olav Røisgaard from 2008, his brother Jan-Petter Røisgaard took over from him, and then Svein Arne Tyssebotn from 2015.
The security cabin increased the bed capacity by 12 beds plus a loft with a dormitory/mattresses. It was completed in 1996 (??). The cabin is beautiful and practically furnished. Architect Robert Bjørka designed it so that it stands on stilts to prevent the wind from piling up snow around. This has proven to work well.
In 2003, about NOK 4.5 million was invested in upgrading the service wing, kitchen, dining room, reception area and entrance area in the main cabin. The project manager was Knut Lande.
The boat route on Mår has more or less run since Sigrid drove "HANS". Even bought a 21 foot motorboat in 1949 which was replaced with a 26 foot boat in 1952. In 1970, he put into operation a covered boat of 27 feet and room for 34 people. He ran the boat business for the rest of his life, even though his grandson drove for the last few years.
By: Terje Landsverk, former general manager of DNT Drammen og Omegn.
Sources: Søren W Thorne (DOTs/DNT Drammen og Omegns yearbook from 1995), NOU report on Hardangervidda, Reidar Fønnebø (tows), Terje Landsverk.
