In the garden at Byåsen in Trondheim, Rørvik was to have a tuja hedge in place.
He started digging and after 20 minutes the spade hit something hard.
– At first I thought it was a tent plug or similar, but quickly realized that this was something completely different.
It was Adresseavisen that first mentioned the case.
– Went bananas
The shiny object was about 15 centimeters underground, and when Rørvik continued to dig, he got a pleasant surprise.
– HAPPY: Rørvik immediately called everyone he knew and loved ones to show off the unusual find. Photo: Private
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– I felt my skin start to tingle when I saw something that looked like a sword.
He understood that the find was a bayonet, and that it was most likely very old.
– I wasn’t prepared to find a treasure in the garden and I think this was incredibly exciting, he says to TV 2 and continues:
– Then I went bananas and called my friends and family straight away.
200 years old
When Rørvik calmed down, he realized that he had to find a way to preserve the bayonet as best as possible.
– I got a tip from a friend to smear it with vaseline and wrap it in plastic wrap so that it would retain moisture.
He posted a post on Facebook, and received several tips about who he could turn to.
– THE WEAPON: The saber bayonet was used for this weapon, held by historian Frode Lindgjerdet. Photo: Private
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Eventually he ended up with historian Frode Lindgjerdet at Rustkammeret, a military history museum in Trondheim.
– It is a saber bayonet with model number 1860 that was used between 1867 and 1880.
He explains to TV 2 that he does not know how the bayonet could have ended up in Rørvik’s garden, but that it was most likely not used in connection with war.
– It is from a time when Norway was not at war, so it has probably disappeared in connection with an exercise, says Lindgjerdet.
Will decorate the wall
The bayonet is 71 centimeters long and bears the mark of having been buried for 200 years.
Now Rørvik wants to have the bayonet cleaned, print out a map with an explanation of the area from the time it was used and hang it in the living room.
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UNDER THE HEDGE: The bayonet that Kristoffer M. Rørvik found in his garden at Byåsen in Trondheim. Photo: Private
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EXHIBITED: A similar bayonet at the Defense Museum Rustkammeret in Trondheim. Photo: Private
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– The question is whether I will be allowed by my wife, but we will probably come to a solution, says Rørvik.
Historian Lindgjerdet says that the bayonet is not particularly unusual and that they have between 20 and 30 copies at the Rustkammeret.
However, he fully understands that it is a great pleasure to find something like that in the garden.
– Weapons that are that old are exempt from the Weapons Act and are not protected, so he can hang them up in the living room, says Lindgjerdet.
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