Kaupanger is the name of the parish under the main church in Sogndal. Findings from the younger Stone Age, tombs from the Iron Age, and even å rune stone from about 600 (“The archer is buried here”) indicate that settlements around Amble Bay are ancient.
The present stave church in Kaupanger was built about 1190 and remnants of two older churches are found under this building. The name Amble (originally “Anbladir”) is of great Age, and is interpreted as two opposite leaves (the shape of the bay) and the name Kaupanger means a marketplace and derives from the Viking Age.
The forest in Kaupanger and Amla are among he best forests in Western Norway. The wood was used for boats, house building and for production of tar and coal. The hydro-powered sawmills were introduced in Norway at about 1550. The commercial value of the forest increased.
In 1586 Amble was bought by Bent Guttormsønn and Euphemia Andersdatter and their descendants run sawmills here til about 1650. In 1690 Gert Heiberg and his wife Sophia Christensdatter bought a part of the farm. They built the main house, which is still in use.
Their daughter Mette Marie and her husband Michael Falch bought two more farms, and that is the Amble Gård as we see it today. Amble Gård has been in the Heiberg family since then.
Mette Marie and Anders are the eight generations of owners since Gert Heiberg in 1690. The farm has been run with several activities. The forest was most important. But there has also been nursery and milk farm and other activities. From 1650 there were also several crofter farms. The farmers paid their rent by working on the main farm. From about 1950 7 small farms were sold to the farmers. Mette Maries paremts, Ingebjørg and Gjert started to rent summer houses in 1995. Today we have 6 houses with 45 beds.