The Tannery Adventure in Gamle-Hokksund

Storgt. 1 in the actual Gamle-Hokksund starts at Hokksund Bridge. Here at one time there was a tannery at the bottom towards the Dramselva behind the current Sanden Hotell. This was called Braathens garveri and the founder was actually Hans Nielsen Hauge. Around 1802 he had been the driving force in the work of establishing Eker's paper factory on

Fredfoss in Vestfossen. The partnership in this company also included the tannery advocate Nils Braathen from Hokksund, who also owned shares in the tannery in Hokksund. Nils Braathen was very keen to take over this tannery and run it on his own account.

And it went as Braathen wanted. On July 10, 1810, the takeover took place.

This Nils Braathen was born on 26/11-1771. As an adult, he married Marthe Gundersdatter who was born on 8/8-1779 and died on 6/3-1852. The family had 6 children.

Nils Braathen's father was actually named Hans Nilsen Aaseie and was born in 1738. When Nils took the name Braathen, it was after the farm he owned at Fredfoss in Vestfossen.

It was also common at that time. Nils Braathen showed an incredible willingness to make something of his profession. In connection with the tanning process, it was he who used bark exclusively in the production. The disadvantages were that it took far too long before the leather was finished. Experience has shown that it took about 2 years.

It didn't take long before word spread that this tanner's phantom was something special. That's probably why he was also called Norway's first professional tanner.

During his working life he became a rich and prosperous man. He had

including the county manor house which was located at Lerberg in Hokksund. The place where Lina and Bjørn Ristvedt

owns and inhabits today.

Petter Braathen, who was Nils Braathen's son, was born in 1816. He continued his father's business and did not shy away from trying something new in the profession.

Petter was actually a farmer, but he immediately realized that the tanning industry could also provide a real income.

But he had to have more knowledge. On his way he listened to what was happening in the profession

elsewhere. In his quest for more knowledge, he fell for the lime process as the solution to get

the tanning time down to a year. Although bark was still the most important tanning material, Petter did not give up. He realized that research in this area would find new methods to reduce the tanning time even further.

Petter married Anne Kirstine Ek. They had 12 children, 2 of whom were twins.

Hans Severin was born on October 8, 1847 and was the one who followed in his father's footsteps and took over the business.

From the very beginning, it was actually in the cards that this boy would and during his education he spent a long time in both Germany and England, especially to familiarize himself with new

tanning methods. But he was not content with just visiting these two countries. He visited both Switzerland and France. Finally, he also visited Denmark, so that he could see both the best and the newest in the field. On these trips, he was also interested in the use of additional equipment and everything that could help reduce the tanning time to ½ year or less.

Hans Severin was married to Mathilde née Kopsland. She was born 13/10-1848. They had 8 children, and from this family it was Hans who was born 4/10-1879 who followed in his father's footsteps.

He further developed his father's tanning method and made the production of special fat leather take place in 2 to 3 months. Hans Braathen also spent a longer time abroad, especially in Germany at first. He then continued to America where he also stayed for a long time.

When he set foot on Norwegian soil again, he had plans partially ready to build a modern chrome tannery for the production of newer leathers such as box calf, chevraux and last but not least waterproof, which was then launched under the brand Braathens waterproof.

It soon became apparent that this product was very well received. It was not damaged by heat, was waterproof and durable.

The conversion to chrome tanning proved to take time. It also required a lot of money. In particular, the machines that were needed were expensive to purchase and production turned out to be more

more costly than previously thought.

Now good advice was expensive. Was it prudent to borrow money for the project? It was then brought to light that Hans Severin had an uncle in Sweden. Contact was established. And in fact the uncle promised to provide the necessary capital. It turned out that his uncle was none other than Consul Braathen in Sundsvall, Sweden. This Gustav Peder Braathen, due to his financial abilities, had risen to prominence and now stood out as the successful man in Swedish industrial enterprises of several kinds, but first and foremost in the forest industry.

From his residence on Alnøn, GP Braathen ruled a small empire of sawmills and various other

industry.

But then something happened that overturned all of Hans Severin's plans for a chrome tannery. His uncle died suddenly shortly after he had given the verbal promise of money for the tannery.

GPBraathens' manager who managed the company would not honor the verbal promise of a loan to the company. No money was therefore granted. Further operation of the tannery was then stopped.

The decision therefore put a stop to a great dream of a company that, to begin with, seemed likely to succeed.

Since Hans Severin had to close down the tannery, he looked for a possible other place to

could continue. When that didn't happen, everything was sold.

The new owner didn't get things moving either. However, a printing house was opened shortly after.

The owner there began publishing a village newspaper called Eikerposten. This too failed after a short period of time.

The couple Gunvor and Olaf Sanden, who lived near the tannery, had been looking for a place where they could start an accommodation and restaurant in Storgt for some time.

As traffic increased on the street, both in terms of businesses, residential buildings and people in general, it was reasonable to believe that such an industry had a right to exist.

In 1930, the couple bought the tannery. Then the real hard work began.

including refilling the large and numerous water basins that were the most important production link at the time the tanning process was underway.

Olaf Sanden, who worked as a floater in the summer, supervised the work of refilling in his free time, and when the renovation of the building itself began, he also took part in this together with the builders Hans and Anders Solberg.

While the construction work was underway, the Sanden couple had contacted public authorities, in this case the sheriff, regarding possible permission to build a service building with hotel standards.

This would be granted on the condition that the building would have 11 rental rooms that corresponded to today's hotel standards.

In 1933, the hotel was ready with all the formalities in order. Sanden Hotell was a fact.