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From goods transport to a freshwater idyll
- A story about Viken II
The accountant on board at the time was Anton Olsen, but in 1914 it was Einar Haugland who was in charge of the finances on the Viken. Haugland lived for many years in the Captain's House (Veiby) directly opposite today's Viken II, and he later became captain of Skibladner (1948-1967). The crew was mostly from Totenvika and Feiring during the entire period the Viken was in service on Lake Mjøsa.
In 1943, Viken was sold to Oslo and eventually to Ålesund. There the ship was renamed Haukøyfjord, then Thorvald Eriksson, and finally Leif Erikson. The ship had several owners, but the last registered owner was Petter O. Pettersen. Under his ownership, the ship ran aground in Sunnylvfjorden and sank in 1970 due to lack of watchkeeping while sailing. The hull was then 97 years old.
Week II is created
Landowner and entrepreneur Ola Reinsby had been thinking for many years about developing the area in Evjua into something more than a popular bathing spot, and the idea for a restaurant only came after several different directions had been investigated. Choosing a theme for the restaurant was even more difficult, and it was only when we realized the incredibly rich and exciting history of shipping in Totenvika that we chose shipping and railway history from the Mjø area as the common thread.
Construction began in 2002, and most of the work was done inside the barn at Reinsby. The pier on which the restaurant stands was built in two stages, and now consists of about 70 lampposts and at least 4 kilometers of impregnated decking. The carpenters who built the pier calculated that it would take about 3.5 years to build all the way to Hamar, but it's just as well that you still have to use a boat to get there
The "ship" was transported down to Evjua in the spring of 2005. The building was driven on a tractor in two stages, and was then fully assembled down in Evjua. The restaurant held an opening party on July 8th that summer, and the opening was a huge success with nearly 500 guests.
It was built for extra indoor space in the summer of 2006, and in the summer of 2007 a rounded stern and a beautiful bow were put in place. In the same year, the great dance band artist Kari Ormestøyl also made a song about the restaurant. The song was on the Norwegian chart for a total of 33 weeks, and was on the top 6 times. Today the boat measures 30 meters, and the entire pier is 65 meters long. The restaurant currently has room for approx. 200 guests, and an awning system has been installed for bad days, as well as an outdoor music system for extra coziness.
