Åbøbyen or Amerikanarbyen (the American town), as it is also called, is one of the best-preserved residential areas for industrial and office workers built during the establishment of energy-intensive industry in Norway. The town is architecturally unique, but the area for the Sauda smelting works is also clearly divided according to class, with worker’s houses nearest the plant, office workers’ farther away and the director’s villa placed highest up.

The town’s harmonic appearance, variety, details and obvious architectural qualities add excitement to a stroll along its streets. The Ryfylke Museum set up the Industrial Worker’s Museum in a four family house at Haakonsgate 51-53. An apartment on the ground floor is furnished as it would have been when new in the 1920s, while the upper floor’s interior dates to the 1960s.