Our story
OUR HOME
Many of us have lost our primal connection with nature, ourselves and our human herd. Holmen Lofoten serves as a safe space where we can log off, reconnect and investigate our natural, mental and social roots and passions. We create the feeling of being home at the edge of the world.
Family plays a key part in our story. Holmen Lofoten was created by Ingunn Rasmussen. A fisherman’s daughter, her family lived off the land and sea, fishing and foraging through the seasons. The children playing and working along the same quayside you see today.
Ingunn had her first working season baiting lines when she was just five years old. From the age of ten, most of her older siblings had become fully self-sufficient for all their needs. This resourcefulness was about survival. Today it’s about conserving the same natural resources we have always relied on.
Living at the outermost edge of the Lofoten Islands we welcome and embrace all the contrasting forces of nature. Wild and rough, peaceful, quiet and calm. Always shifting.
Ingunn and the family invite you to contribute to the way we create, protect, experience and move within this dramatic setting.
OUR HISTORY
The word holmen means islet or small island. As it was a perfect location for fish drying racks, it was originally a small fishing factory with fisherman’s cabins that was owned by one of the local squires.
The cabins (rorbu) have been used by several generations of fishermen, including Ingunn’s father Inge who continued to use one of the cabins until the late 1980’s.
As the buildings aged and became less suited for daily use, they lay unserviceable for several years. Looking to return to her community, Ingunn took ownership of the property in 2001.
Over 3-4 years, the original buildings were extensively renovated and retro-fitted. Modern buildings were commissioned over the next 10 years allowing for a variety of accommodation. Combining contemporary Scandinavian design and aesthetics with the traditional.
In keeping with its history, cabins were named after the fisherman that had used them. Ingebua, named after Ingunn’s father, is the oldest building at Holmen, which had been relocated from an outer island community.
Holmen opened its doors in its current form in 2018. For Ingunn, Holmen has changed dramatically from her childhood as a fisherman’s daughter. From total abandonment and dormancy to reawakening and restoration into the destination hotel, restaurant and event space it is today.
It’s history remains at Holmen’s core. The foundations, the interior details and the very personal experience of staying in a family owned and operated business. A place to tell stories and showcase Lofoten culture.
The team
Ingunn
‘Ildsjel’: a fiery soul
Ingunn is Holmen Lofoten. She embodies all the real, raw and rough elements of life in the Arctic Circle. She strives to preserve and share her deep northern Norwegian heritage, and invites you and others to create your own contribution.
Håvar
A steady support
Here is a person who oozes patience, a sense of calm, and who is always there beside you when needed. The word ‘no’ does not exist for Håvar when asking him for help.
Audun
The one to lead your way
Before you have even said hello to Audun, you will be greeted with a mischievous smile and twinkling eyes. He is the one who will guide you safely and expertly through this wild terrain we call home. The man’s mind is an encyclopedic field guide.
English (UK) 
Norsk bokmål