Fortidsminneforeningen

Borgund Stave Church

Foto: Fortidsminneforeningen.

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Facts

Borgund Stave Church lies in Lærdal Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane County. A map showing the location of all of Fortidsminneforeningens properties in the county may be found here.

History and practical information

Borgund stave church is a kind of basilica church where both the nave and the chancel have a higher central section. It has given its name to a subtype of stave church, and the Borgund type is considered to be the most characteristic stave church.

Dendrochronological studies have shown that the timber used in the building was felled in the winter of 1180-81. The church was dedicated to St. Andrew.

Externally, the visitor will remark the dragons’ heads on the gables, the carved west door, the external galleries and the belfry with medieval bell. Internally, attention is drawn to the cross-beams (reinforcements), the pulpit from the end of the 16th century and the altarpiece from 1620.

Read more about the church on the website of Fortidsminneforeningen's Sogn og Fjordane branch here: http://www.stavechurch.com/.

The year 2005 saw many changes to the stave church. Fortidsminneforeningen opened a new Visitor Centre, with a comprehensive exhibition on the Norwegian stave churches in general and Borgund in particular. The Centre has a café with local food, shops and toilet facilities. The car-park has now been moved further away from the church, and is now north of the Visitor Centre.

For season, opening hours and prices, click here. You can get a good deal on a combined visit to the Wild Salmon Centre in Lærdal.

Guided tours may be booked during the season on line + 47 57 66 81 09. You can also send an e-mail to the Visitor Centre all year: borgund@fortidsminneforeningen.no.