Chapter 5 - Thousand Artists
"Life has become too square. We must let our imagination and free thinking flow. Otherwise, our own heads will end up in square shape."
— Nils Hiorth (1920-2006)
When Nils returned around 1980 to Håskog after 21 years living in America, his vision was to make the nursery and garden great again and develop a tourism center with arts and crafts.
He was an artist who decorated rooms with recreated, used objects. Nils and his wife Lorraine were known for establishing the Vestlandsbyen in Kongeparken and the restaurant Brygga in Flekkefjord.
Lamps of all imaginable shapes and sizes, as well as a myriad of strange objects of all kinds, remain in his wake.
– We should have every opportunity to rebuild Norway's and even Europe's most beautiful botanical park, says Nils Hiorth.
– The greenhouses have fallen apart, the ditches have collapsed and the bog has swamped. But we have the frame. It's about replacing the image. The image of a Håskog growing according to old Gunnar Hiorth's revolutionary ideas. Can you see how well the trees and shrubs have survived even without maintenance? That was my father's original idea, to grow hardy and exotic plants. He succeeded, despite all the warnings and gloomy predictions. "
"We should have every opportunity to rebuild Norway's and even Europe's most beautiful botanical park. With lakes and paths and everything included. The property is big enough for that. Maybe we should have fish in the lakes and some boats for the tourists. I also hope to have some celebrities visit. Musicians, artists. Maybe exhibitions. There are many ideas."
"Life has become too square. We need to let our imagination and free thinking flow. Otherwise, our own heads will end up in square shape."
Follow the link below to watch Nils Hiorth on an episode of Around Norway - Chapter 6 - Håskog: The Hiorth couple.