In 1912 Marcello Haugen put up a small two-room hut on the  mountain top called Thokampen in Sel municipality. Situated on the very top some 1000 metres above sea level, the hut has a spectacular, almost ”birds-eye” view over Otta, the commercial and  travel centre, the famous mountain region of Rondane, and the Otta and Lågen rivers penetrating the valley Gudbrandsdalen below…

Today, a road leading up from Otta facilitates access to the top, but in the old days walking up a steep, winding path was the only option. The ”steatite road” was basically built as part of a local soapstone industry. Walking from the end of this road to Thokampen takes approx. 20 mins. You can see the mountain top hovering over the plateau some 100 meters. It’s easily spotted from the parking space near the entrance to the soapstone quarry (see map for details).

Marcello, who at that time was earning his living as a locomotive stoker on the Hamar-Dombås railway line, was granted permission by the Bredevangen family to put up ”Sameti”, since he, or so the saying goes, had managed to stop a horse in full, uncontrolled flight, with Tho sitting trapped in the cart…

The little path leading up ”Sameti” itself should be approached with caution. A cable wire is suspended along the path to help people who need to steady themselves. This ascent most have caused considerable problems when necessary wood consrtuction materials were carried up to the site.

Incidently, there have been speculations about the Thokampen mountain, whether in fact it was originally used as a local fortress during the iron age… It is, of course, very hard to give proof for this, but as a matter of fact, there are natural caves under the site where Sameti is situated, with subterranean passage ways leading in many directions.

There is only a short walk from Sameti to the ”Pillarguritoppen”, another famous historical site in Norwegian history. Pillarguri was the woman who stood on the mountain brink overlooking the valley below and blew her ”lur”, or lure in English, in order to advert the local defenders of the valley of the arrival of Captain Sinclair and his Scots mercenaries, on their way south to Sweden and the Kalmar War. Her signal to the local peasants resulted in the release of the ripcords holding vast piles of logs and stones, resulting in the death of Sinclair and many of his soldiers.

The area surrounding Sameti covers some 100 square metres, covered with bushes and trees. The hut itself is situated in a crack in the ground, thus sheltering it from the strong forces of nature. As a result of this, Sameti has kept remarkably well over the years. The key is placed by the side of the door, so anyone interested in visiting this peaceful and beautiful place is welcome. People have come in great numbers both from all over Norway and from abroad, and few, if any, have failed to grasp the stillness and sanctity of the place. The Sameti Foundation takes great care in providing a new visiting book whenever the old one is filled up by contented visitors, eagerly awaiting a return visit!

It goes without saying that the use of open fire in or around such a fragile wooden building is strictly forbidden. Nor is it allowed to break off twigs or branches from trees or in any way alter the natural surroundings. Members of the Marcello family have always tried to preserve the place in the same condition as it was left us after Marcellos death in 1967. What we really want is that as many visitors as possible can experience Sameti, as a place of  strenght and renewal. Rumour has it that some few ”chosen people” have experienced  ”subterranean creatures” in active conversation in and around Sameti!

For contact: post@mysticaeterna.com

Rules and Regulations for the Marcello Haugen Foundation

1. The Sameti Foundation was unanimously established in an extraordinary general meeting in the former Svarga Ltd. on September 27, 1983. In an extraordinary general meeting on march 6, 2004 the name Marcello       Haugen Foundation was taken.
2. The capital stock of the foundation is the hut Sameti. Marcello Haugen was given permission by a local landowner, Bredevangen, to erect the hut on the Thokampen mountain in the Sel municipality.
3. The primary aim of the foundation is the preservation and running of the hut, in order to give the general public access to a special place of both recreational and spiritual importance, as has indeed been the case since 1915/16. The foundation will also work for making the life and activities of Marcello Haugen better known among people everywhere, as well as collecting valuable information about him, e.g. through the running of this website. The foundation has copyright on every written material by Marcello Haugen.
4. The directors of the foundation, taking over from Wilfred Gylder and Frank W.Haugen, who were in office from 1983 to 2000 - are today, Dag Gylder Haugaløkken, and Åsmund Gylder.
5. The board meeting of the foundation can at any appropriate time elect their own successor(s), or expand the number of members on the board. Successors or new members should preferably be chosen from within the Marcello Haugen family.
6. The term of office for the board is for a minimum of 2 years. The foundation follows rules as specified in the Law about Foundations, chapter 2 (May 23, 1980) about the management and running of foundations.
7. As long as the management capital of the foundation does not exceed 50.000 NOK, the foundation has no demands to report assets to the regional commissioner, as stated in the sixth chapter, paragraph 18, of the law. The board members will be presented each year with the internal accounts of the foundation, containing earnings, expenditures, as well as possible private contributions.
8. If for some reason the purpose of the foundation no longer applies, the foundation will cease to exist, in which case remaining capital will be donated to a similar common cause.

These regulations were unanimously sanctioned by the two current directors of the Marcello Haugen Foundation and associated family members present at a board meeting on Oct. 10, 2002.