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We found the loneliest house in the world

The dilapidated lighthouse was built in 1907 and has not been used for over 20 years.

The lighthouse on Skalmen, Norway [NRK/Marius Andre Jenssen Stenberg]

No lawnmowers on Saturday mornings, no trucks driving by, no partygoers. There is one thing above all on this Norwegian island: peace and quiet.

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The loneliest house in the world is on Skalmen. The island lies on the western tip of Norway. To visit it, you need to take two different ferries and then travel six kilometers by boat, according to media reports. Two hours from civilisation.

The mini-island is deserted. Visitors are not allowed here from May to the end of July - it is a bird sanctuary! On Skalmen there is only an old lighthouse and its farm buildings. These include a residential building, engine room and marina.

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Nevertheless, an auction between five interested parties took place in mid-March. The winner was Andreas Bjarøy and his wife Mona Kruse Bjarøy. The couple paid two and a half times more than the starting price.

Bjarøy told Norwegian television station NRK, "We have spent many holidays there over the years, we love the area and we did a lot of fishing near Skalmen. So the offer was very interesting for us."

The couple plans to "completely restore" the dilapidated lighthouse. It was built in 1907 and has not been used for over 20 years. The coastal authorities actually wanted to demolish it. However, after the residents intervened, it was put up for sale.

"It's not every day you can buy a lighthouse. We thought it would be nice to restore it to make it as good as it should be," explains Bjarøy, who co-owns a real estate company. It is possible that the tower will be made available to visitors. The buyers want to talk to the city authorities about it.

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In the meantime, they can enjoy the peace and quiet of their new island - all to themselves.

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This article was originally published on Onet Travel.

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