Lyngheisenteret

About

The Heathland Centre (THC) is a Norwegian and international knowledge centre for the coastal heathlands. We protect the landscape through active farming, share traditions and provide unique experiences. Here you can walk on paths in a historic landscape, just as it has been along this coastline for 5000 years. The heathlands are Europe's cultural landscape along the Atlantic Ocean, from Portugal in the south to Lofoten in the north. Today, it is threatened by extinction. As much as 90 percent have been lost in the past 100 years due to cultivation, pollution, and overgrowth. THC protects the heather moors through farming, and preserves the knowledge and traditions associated with the use of the landscape. This is the only place in Europe today where authentic heathlands are run by local farmers and are also open to the public. THC received the UNESCO Global Cultural Landscape Award in 2001 and in 2005 THC was awarded the Council of Europe – Europa Nostra's cultural landscape award.