Borgund Stave Church

Borgund is the best-preserved stave church in Norway, a stepped pyramid of steep dark shingled roofs crowned with carved dragon heads, built of pine around 1180 and blackened with protective tar. Unchanged in structure and set beside a modern visitor centre, it is the classic image of the medieval Norwegian wooden church.

Background

The building was the village church of Borgund until 1868, when a new Borgund Church built nearby took over its religious role, and it was then restored and turned into a museum in the care of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. It is classed as a Sogn-type stave church with three naves, with walls of vertical boards, or staves, and twelve free-standing columns carrying the raised central nave. The chancel and apse were added in the 14th century, and the present dragon heads may be 18th century replacements. Inside are a pulpit from 1550-1570 and an altarpiece from 1654. The grounds hold the only surviving stave-built free-standing bell tower in Norway.

Source: Wikipedia, "Borgund Stave Church"

The main sights

• The tiered roofs - the stacked, steep shingled roofs rising to a tower.
• The dragon heads - the carved beasts on the gables, half pagan, half Christian.
• The dark timber - the pine walls blackened with centuries of tar.
• The visitor centre - the exhibition on stave churches beside the church.

When to go

Summer, when the church and centre are open; a clear day suits the dark timber against green hills. It is an easy roadside stop on the route between Oslo and the fjords.

Practical notes

It is small inside and quickly seen, so the reward is the extraordinary exterior more than the interior. It is a popular stop, so coaches gather in peak season. The setting is roadside rather than remote, which makes it easy but less atmospheric than Urnes.

Nearby

Laerdal and the Sognefjord are close; the old Laerdal road and the Flam railway are within reach.

Key facts