Kronen Gaard Hotel

In 1898, timber merchant Gabriel Block Watne acquired 17 acres of land from his parents’ farm at Vatne and built the country house that is now the Kronen Gaard Hotel. Gabriel was a timber merchant and traveled to America to study something called pre-cut, which consisted of prefabricated kits cut at the factory and erected at the construction site.

Gabriel and Beate Block Watne were known for their hospitality. They had six children and spent every summer at their country house. The journey from the family’s residence in Langgaten to Vatne took about half an hour. Unfortunately, during an economic downturn around 1920, the Block Watne family sold the property.
The estate was then purchased by Austrian-born Frans Salerius Faydt. He and a friend had arrived in Norway in 1911, having just completed their education. They fled Austria out of fear of being called into military service. At the time, Faydt was working as a master weaver at Sandnes Ullvarefabrikk. He and his wife had two daughters, but sadly, his wife died during childbirth. Faydt later married the housekeeper, but he passed away not long after. The housekeeper then sold the property, placed the two young girls in foster care, and moved back to her hometown of Haugesund.

One girl was placed with a butcher in Sandnes named Nygård, and the other with her mother’s family at Ålgård.

The property was sold to Head Nurse Gudrun Baade Jensen, who at the time was working at Dale Psychiatric Hospital. An idealist, Baade continued running the farm as a home for elderly women with mental illness. The rural surroundings at Vatne made it a perfect place for relaxation and rehabilitation.

In 1953, Kjell and Sygni Steinsvåg purchased the property. She was a newly qualified parish sister, and he had recently completed his training as a deacon. They continued to operate the institution as a private facility. At the time, the place was known as “Trødne.”
The name “Trøddene” originates from the area’s marshy landscape, with several springs surrounded the fields. When it rained, a patch of land on the hillside remained dry, and the animals would gather there to graze — giving rise to the name “Trøddene.”

In the 1980s, Rogaland Psychiatric leased the farm to operate a psychiatric nursing home. In 1986, Kjell and Sygni established Kronen Gaard Hotel, marking the end of the psychiatric institution. Kjell and Sygni renovated the property, reopened its doors, and soon became a spot for social gatherings. Until 1993, the hotel operated as an alcohol-free venue, which became increasingly challenging during the late 1980s—an era known for its champagne celebrations and the rise of “yuppie culture”.

In 1993, their son Helmer Steinsvåg became the new owner of Kronen Gaard. The hotel then received a liquor license, marking the beginning of a new era.