On the top of the hill hidden by bushes lies The blue House from 1912. On the other side of the river you can see the boathouse at Mossegården, named after its founder Abraham Moss. This was the headquarter for the producer of the genuine Drammen Aquavit. The production of spirits took place here ca. 1870 - 1910. In those days, country houses comprised a number of buildings surrounding a courtyard and they had a boathouse on the shores of the river. Mossegården´s boathouse, the largest in town, has been preserved. The unique Biedermeier district in Øvre Storgate is another place to see buildings where the best known distilleries were accommodated, e.g. Brodersengarden where "golden drops" were produced during a long period of time, and Mossegarden where Abraham Moss produced his "Drammen Aquavit" of national fame until the early years of our century. The Drammen Aquavit is once again in production and will be available for sale. We can look forward to enjoying Frantz Tandberg´s "Double distilled Aquavit No.1". It received a prize in Philadelphia as early as 1876 and in Paris two years later. Tandberg was also given medals and honour for his aquavit on several other occasions. Drammen´s background as a seafaring town has meant a lot. For instance, it is a fact that Drammen is the native town of the Line Aquavit. As early as the 15th century sailing ships from Europe would call at the harbours of Strømsø and Tangen to take in timber cargoes, which contributed to the development of trade and a comprehensive growth. Drammen citizens also began to build their own ships which were soon to sail on all the oceans of the world. In 1840 the brig "Preciosa" of Drammen crossed the Line (Equator) round Cape Horn as the first Norwegian ship. Aquavit produced in Drammen was part of the provisions on board. On return to Drammen after the circumnavigation of the globe it was disco vered that the remaining aquavit had obtained a rare, fine bouquet. The tour across the Line had given it a flavour out of the ordinary - the Line Aquavit was born! In those days there were about 20 potato distilleries in Drammen. Indirectly, King Christian VII provided the basis for the production. During the difficult years in the early 19th century, Norway / Denmark were at war with England, and the king prohibited the use of corn for the production of spirits. However merchant Johan Godtfried Schwencke found a solution.In 1804 he began the production of potato alcohol at 75 Bergstien. It became a success, and Schwencke managed to keep the monopoly of such production until 1816, when several other potato distilleries were established in Drammen. Today we can still see the house in Bergstien where Schwencke had his first distillery. Drammen is noted for its beer, too. Founded in 1834, Aass Brewery is the oldest in Norway and has been owned by the Aass family since 1866. The brewery is always among the best when the Norwegian beer production is tested at regular intervals, for instance in 1996 when Aass´s Christmas beer was selected the best in our country.