30 people now live at Kvalnes. After the war, in 1945 it was a different life with Lofoten teeming with activity and people. Kvalnes had three cod liver oil processing plants and more than 20 fishing boats in the harbour. Today there is one place left that receives fish from the finshing boats all the year round. The plant is close to Villa Lofoten and you can watch the fishing boats bringing in their catches and buy fish for dinner there. The traditional ways of living combining fishing and farming is disappearing. The structural changes in Lofoten have made people turn to other ways of making a living. This is why a former small working farm like Villa Lofoten is now a part of the growing tourism business.

The land where Villa Lofoten stands today was bought by a fisherman called Otto in 1937. He had just bought a new 37 feet fishing boat and employed six people for winter fishing. He got married and needed a farm to sustain his family through the year. This was a normal way of life in Northern Norway, combining fishing and farming on a small scale. Because of the war Otto and his wife Julie had to wait until 1947 to get their farm working. After the war there was a shortage of almost everything, including building materials. Otto sailed 600 km south to Namdalen and bought his house. The house was pulled down and rebuilt as Villa Lofoten with Otto's own hands. A fisherman had more talents than fishing.

Kvalnes was a good place to live for the family. By and by the children left home, and the world was changing. The combination of fishing and farming which had sustained people along the coast for centuries was no longer the future. It was necessary to find new ways of making a living. New tools and new technology have completely changed the ways of living and making a living in Lofoten.

Villa Lofoten is renovated and restored in order to make our guests enjoy themselves in this unique environment. But still we would like the history and the atmosphere of the house and its surroundings to remind our guests of those who have lived there before.