In the western suburbs of Oslo, the historic village of Bærums Verk straddles the cascading Loma River. Many buildings here date back to the iron works which were established here in 1640. Throughout the centuries, its dedicated workforce has manufactured everything from salad forks to lighthouses. Today, the site has been reimagined as a center for arts and crafts, with over 50 shops and galleries. About 80,000 people live and work here, but at least two of the town’s most dedicated workers aren’t alive at all, giving Bærums Verk the reputation as the most haunted village in Norway.
In 1712, Anna Krefting was 29 years old and pregnant with her seventh child when her husband Herman passed away. He left Anna the iron works at Bærums Verk and she spent the next 54 years of her life diligently managing the place. When she was 79 years old, the main building was devastated by a massive fire, so she came out of retirement to supervise its reconstruction. During her tenure, the iron works became the largest of its kind in Norway.
Despite dying in 1766 at the age of 86, you might still run into Anna Krefting today. She oversees the oldest restaurant in Norway, Værtshuset, built in 1641 as the village pub. Krefting is typically encountered leisurely floating around upstairs, dressed all in green. Is she keeping an eye on the staff or just ensuring that the place doesn’t catch on fire?
In 1773, the iron works were inherited by Conrad Clauson. The 18-year-old immediately invested in cutting-edge technology, enabling the blast furnace to be operated year-round. Clauson started a side-line in charcoal manufacturing, adding jobs to the village. He also expanded the elementary school which Anna Krefting had founded.
Today, Clausen’s home and the foundry itself have been renovated into a large shopping complex. Each night at 12:15, the phone in the main office rings. The phone company has traced the origin of the signal to a certain break room, the room where Conrad was sleeping when he died at the young age of 31 in 1785. Perhaps he still has some new ideas to share.
Neighbors agree that the spirits are friendly, not frightening. They are welcome to haunt as much as they like, serving as reminders of the deeply storied past of the village of Bærums Verk.