Hygea Café

Lively café scene in Balestrand

Emperor Wilhelm II undoubtedly put Balestrand on the map in Europe, making frequent trips to Balestrand on his ship, the Hohenzollern, which lay at anchor in the Esefjord in the early 1900s.

A regular boat service between Bergen and Sogn also brought more and more guests to the hotel. The increasing number of visitors led to the establishment of new jobs, including a bakery, watchmaker’s, hairdresser and fizzy drink factory. Another line of business was the cafés that were established either as a side-line in people’s own homes or in specific buildings.

We can think back to the time the Emperor visited Balestrand and easily envisage the cafés that served refreshments along the shore, towards Sande and Bruhjell. There were also cafés in Esebotn and in the centre of the village.

The best known café was probably ‘Café Jotunheimen’ (1913) in Villa Jotunheim and the eccentric outdoor café ‘Kafé Hygea’ (1890).

Other cafés included:

  • ‘Meieriet’ near Skåsheimelvi (1928),

  • ‘Thesalonen’ (1924) below Sande,

  • ‘Kafé Viking’ (1914), (Sigrid Thue),

  • ‘Café Stormly’ (1928),

  • ‘Kong Beles Kafé’ (1920),

  • ‘King Baileys Cabin’ (1910),

  • ‘Ese sin kafé’ in Holmen (1905),

  • ‘Kaffistova’ (1920),

  • ‘Sentrum kafé’ (1958),

  • ‘Hjelseng kafé’ (1920s), ‘

  • Turistkaféen’ (1939),

  • ‘Mjølkebaren’ (1956),

  • ‘Svingen kafé’ (1946),

  • ‘Marta Lidal’ summer café (1950–1960),

  • ‘Esebotten seterhytte’ (1928).

No less than 17 cafés were open from 1910 to 1960, some of which were open all year, while most were only open during summer. This brought welcome extra income for many during what was a golden age for the village.

The outdoor café Hygea

This was the first café to open, a few kilometres from the centre of Balestrand. A small cabin was erected in the 1890s beside the roaring Skåsheimselvi river. A large elm stood beside the building, around which a platform was built with room for tables and chairs. There was a pulley system from the café to the platform, from which a small replica of the polar ship ‘Fram’ hung. It was used to send refreshments between the café and the platform.

The establishment was given the name ‘Hygea’ after the Greek Goddess of health. The designation ‘outdoor restaurant’ implies knowledge of urban cultures, where fresh air is emphasised as an additional benefit. Its location beside the roaring river gave great legitimacy to its name.

The café allegedly had an excellent wine cellar. A very satisfied guest, Herman Plug, wrote in Sogningen in 1898:

‘…Then I arrived, at the roaring Skaasheimselven river, a friendly place, full of

romance, high in an elm tree where you could breathe in fresh air at the tables

and benches and enjoy a drink worthy of the Gods. This was ‘Hygea’ Frilufts

Restauranten, which Christen Skaasheim had set up so beautifully.’

Hygea was a very popular café during this period, and many tourists made their way there. The Polar ship ‘Fram’ used as a serving tray

An advert from the time describes how:

‘THE OUTDOOR CAFÉ HYGEA SERVED REFRESHMENTS, CAKES AND WINE

UP IN A LARGE TREE TO TOURISTS WALKING ALONG THE SOGNEFJORD:

THE VIEWING BALCONY IN AN ELM TREE, WHERE THE POLAR SHIP ‘FRAM’

TRAVERSES BACK AND FORTH THROUGH THE AIR. GUESTS ARE ASKED TO

PLACE THEIR ORDER IN THE SHIP. PLEASE NOTE: ICE COLD CELLAR,

SPEEDY SERVICE. CAKES AND FRUIT WINE WILL THEN BE SENT IN THE

LITTLE PULLEY SHIP.’