Mysterious safe found during attic renovation

A safe of unknown origin and contents was discovered during the renovation of a historic building in Arendal, southern Norway.

The safe was found in the second floor of the Paulus Møller-gården, a building now housing Skagen pub, the local newspaper Agderposten first reported.

Helle Songe-Møller, great-granddaughter of the building’s namesake Paulus Møller, told Dagbladet she remembers the safe from her childhood. “It stood in a small side room behind what was then the hardware section, where we pulled up pallets of goods. We tumbled around on it as children,” she said.

The building came into the family’s possession in 1923 and housed a hardware store selling kitchen equipment, tools, sports gear and weapons. Songe-Møller and her brother inherited the building in 2016 and sold it to Arendal Byutvikling.

She speculated the safe might hold old documents, receipts, or weapons and ammunition. “It’s mysterious, and it would be incredibly fun if there was something inside,” she said, adding jokingly: “I just hope there aren’t any old gold bars that we sold the building with.”

Petter Aaland, managing director of Arendal Byutvikling, which owns the building, said he was hoping for gold bars. The safe was found as tenant Skagen pub plans to expand with a nightclub and disco concept on the second floor.

The safe’s age is unclear. It is made by A. P. Foss and marked with Kristiania — the name of Oslo from 1877 to 1924 — suggesting it could be between 100 and 150 years old, according to the Store norske leksikon.

Aaland noted the safe might contain items of cultural historical value. “It will be fun to find out what’s inside, but how we open it is another question,” he said.

On Friday, a crane has been hired to lift the safe out. Benedikte Nilsen Glommen, co-owner of the Skagen pub tenant, invited residents to come with suggestions for opening it. “Residents must help us open it. When we lower it on Friday, we will place it somewhere others can help us pick the lock. So we hope there’s an Egon Olsen in the local area,” she said, referring to the character from the Olsenbanden films.

Glommen, who also serves as a city council representative for the Conservative Party in Arendal, said there has been great enthusiasm since Agderposten reported the story on Tuesday. “This is part of the cultural heritage of the whole city. It is very important to show that old buildings can hide many exciting things,” she said.