The traditional wooden houses in Eidsgata and Tverrgata are among the best preserved in Sogn og Fjordane. The houses were built from mid-1800 onwards and show how people lived and worked here during the 19^th century.

In 1649 the country’s first military training ground was established at the farm Osnes by the Eid river. The establishment of Eksersisplassen, with the activities that followed, was important to the development of Nordfjordeid as a commercial center and town.

People from all over the region gathered to participate in military exercises at the Eksersisplassen. The military activity peaked during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and attracted many people to the town. With them came the demand for special craft services, such as gun makers, saddlers and shoe makers.

Tverrgata is the oldest street in the town. New buildings were erected along the road to the sea (sjøvegen) that stretched from a part of the Myklebust farm to the boathouses by the fjord. Eidsgata was established along the fjord just above the boathouses.

The new houses were used as both homes and workplaces. People earned a living by providing services that were sought after in a thriving town centre such as tailors, a spinnery, guest houses, bakeries, manufacturers, a shoemaker, carpenters, black-smiths, transport, a tavern and a prison cell.

The streets have their distinct profile. In Tverrgata the properties and houses are smaller than in Eidsgata. The architecture reflects the construction method commonly used at the time. The oldest houses are often older than the streets, as it was normal to move a house from one place to another. One literally «moved house».