Officials in the northern Norwegian city of Tromsø have withdrawn their order that a local farmer tear down an old barn on his property. They accepted his argument that demolishing the barn will anger the ghosts living under it.
The barn is located in Tromvik, on an island on the outskirts of Tromsø township. Local officials had called the dilapidated building a hazard and ordered it to be torn down.
Its owner protested, claiming that he didn't dare go near the barn himself.
"Many years ago, I removed its roof," he wrote in a letter to the building officials. "The result was that I had several encounters with the underworld. And I fell gravely ill.
"There are underworld creatures living in that barn," the man wrote. "My entire family knows about this."
He wrote that he'd be glad to allow others to tear down the building, if they dare to do so. He won't stand in the way of a wrecking crew, but whoever takes on the job must also be willing to suffer the consequences.
That was enough for the building officials to back off, but they still want the structure secured so that it's not a danger to animals or children. The owner agreed to make improvements, and a local university researcher lauded the consideration shown to local beliefs.
"Sometimes we just have to accept that there's more between heaven and earth than between the files and rules in the township's building code," Tromsø building chief Hallvard Thon told local newspaper Tromsø
