History

The lookout post announces - "Land by sight!" This was "Siggen på Bömmelöen" which he sighted. Roald Amundsen on his polar ship "Fram" saw again in this way his fatherland. Siggjo and Bømlo were by all times the first guiding points of their homeland, which the homecoming navigators saw.

After the last ice age the people pulled up farther the coast. The coast of Bømlo with their numerous skerries, sunden and cross-beams was suitable well for fishing. In the first time there were tramping hunter clans, however, later the people became more settled. The oldest settlements from the Stone Age on Bømlo are approximately 10000 years old.

Hespriholmen

Approximately 9000 years ago the hunters and collectors began manufacturing devices from the greenstone, which was founded on the Hespriholm. In fragile boats produced by hides they get to the dross-beam, broke the stone out and brought him to Langevåg.

Langevåg

In Langevåg lived the "green-stone-people". Here, the green stone was processed into devices and weapons from the Hespriholm for many thousend years . Here, quarries and settler places from the stone age are located closer than anywhere else in West Norway. In the older stone age, the green stone was applied much more frequently for the production of axes. The famous archaeologist Haakon Shetelig named Bømlo as the "country of legends."

The history of fishing

Bømlo, whose inhabitants were fishermen and farmers, was always connected closely to the sea. About 1830 big herring swarms came to the west coast of Bømlo. So the people began to earn their sustenance by fishing

Espevær

Espevær had lain positively for the fishing and the "Baadehuset" (today a museum) was the centre.
Later Espevær was the center of the lobstering - from here the lobster from the lobster enclosures was shipped in the home and foreign country. At the beginning of 20th century, Espevær was also important , when the mackerel catch with the troll became an important branch of industry in the North Sea. Today many Bømloer work in the fishing, the navigation and the pisciculture.

The Gold-mines

At the end of 19th century, Bømlo experience a big "economic adventure". A little boy found gold and released with it a proper gold fever. About 1885, when it went up here most hectic several, hundred men worked in the gold mines near to Lykling. Alltogether approximately 140 kgs of pure gold were found.

The Wichmann forge

Bømlos resent industrial history began in 1903 in the Wichmann forge in Rubbestadneset. Here the first boat engine was produced - the prelude to the Wichmann engine factory, the current Wärtsilä Norway AS. Around this Operation many other high-technological enterprises, with the sea and the ship trip have appeared.

The 1000-year-old anniversary and the church laws

In 1995 there was a big celebration on Bømlo. It was even 1000 years ago, when Olav Tryggvason went ashore near to Moster, hit a tent and maintained a fair. Later the tradition of the Service has been cultivated in Norway continuously.
1024 Olav Haraldsson (the saint) came to the Mostrathing, to pass the church laws.