Slaves

Lervige used to be a cove at the mouth of the Lundeåna river that ran all the way to the settlement at the bottom of Lerviksbakken. There are still buildings here that bear witness to its former life as a seaside harbour.

In the 1890s, the people of Egersund called the area "Santos" after the Brazilian harbour town, which at the time was known for its particularly unhealthy climate. For years, those living near Lervige had complained about the unbearable odour caused by low flows in the river, and they were also worried about disease. In several stages from the 1890s and throughout the 1900s, the bay was therefore completely filled in.

Circa 1870. Photo: Jens Ulrik Ferdinand Bugge/Dalane Folkemuseum.

"The hideous spillage and the unbearable stench that we are dragged with during low water levels, we who live around Lervigen and in the vicinity, urge us, now that Colera claims its victims and may possibly also come here, to petition the community council for Lervigen to be filled from Carl Johan Iversen's lake shed and to Aresnæset, so that the bay can become a common or a new square."

Extract from Petition from widow Berthe Løining and 3 other landowners in Lerviken to the Egersund Community Board 31 July 1884

Almost immediately, the new, large square in Lervige became the town's focal point. Many public events were organised here, including circuses, funfairs, "brusteinsball" and gymnastics shows. In 1952, according to Dalane Tidende, the surest sign of summer was found in Lervige: "At first glance, people who don't know any better will think that major political meetings are taking place at the venue. But it's just that the croquet season has begun."

"There will be a monkey theatre where a dozen wild monkeys and Felix the pig will perform comical shows throughout the evening."

About the amusement park "Luna Park" in Lervika. Dalane Tidende 8 May 1935

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