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Røldal stavkirke and winter in Haukelifjell
It was Sunday morning when I got in the car and returned to Oslo. It was still dark outside and it was raining from the sky. I had 430 kilometers to drive all day, so I didn’t have to hurry. Rush was not advisable, because in the Haukeli mountains, through which the road led me, winter conditions prevailed. At one point, the falling rain was replaced by snow and as I approached the town of Røldal it began to slowly clear. I decided that I could take a short break and stop at the local stave church, which I had not visited for a long time.The Røldal stave church was…
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Heddal stavkirke
The stave church (stavkirke) in Heddal is the largest of its kind in Norway. Located just off the E134 road, a few kilometers east from Notodden and over 100 km from Oslo, it is a great place to organize a stopover. The church was built in the 13th century, and today it still holds services and special ceremonies, such as weddings. The church’s construction is based on 12 vertical, corner posts, which were then fastened with long boards (staves). The unique shape of the building consists of three towers and 64 roof surfaces. Inside, you can see the beautifully decorated 13th-century bishop’s chair, baptismal font, 17th-century altar and wall paintings.…
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Kongevegen: Vindhellvegen
I guess not so many who visited Borgund Stavkirke know about old road, called Vindhellvegen. I saw the group of turists that came by bus and stopped at the parking near the church. They walked around the temple, took some pictures and went back to the bus. They left this place, looking for other norway’s attractions. Vindhellvegen lies about 20 minutes of walk from this parking lot. And in my opinion this is the place you must see when you are in this area. But probably only the locals and those who read about it in internet know this place. Even if there is a big info board about Kongevegen…
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Borgund stavkirke, Torpo stavkirke & Undredal stavkirke
For more than two centuries, from the end of the 10th to the 13th century, faith in Christ mixed in the north with beliefs in pagan gods. At that time around 1000 stavkirke (stav – stave, kirke – church) was built in Norway, which today still can be admired by nearly 30. Many scientists say that this type of structure was built long before Christianity (the beginning of the 11th century), and the Vikings built they temples in stav style. The base of the stave structure was a skeleton frame made of vertical corner posts (called stav or masts), then pinned by long boards (staves), which were applied vertically like…
