VIK: How to Visit a Stave Church in Norway

One of the great attractions of my recent trip to the fjords of Norway It was to rediscover the wooden churches.

During my first trip to norway many years ago in route to the North Cape, I was really impressed by its wooden churches, of which I saw three samples, those of Vik y Gol and the one that is preserved in the Norwegian People's Museum in Oslo.

Now on this new trip through the fjords I have had the opportunity to revisit the Hopperstad church which is located in the small town of Vik, On the banks of Sognefjord.

This typical Vik stave church It was impressed on my retina by a beautiful slide that I made when I visited it, in which it appears illuminated by the sun, and highlighted with the very dark blue-gray background of the clouds of a storm that was clearing.

Now I have also had the fortune of seeing it illuminated by the sun after a day that started out rainy.

Origin and what the wooden churches of Norway are like

The Norwegian stave churches are also known as viking church for its characteristic exterior decoration.

Actually they are christian churches that were built throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, of which practically only the Norwegian ones remain standing.

In Norwegian these churches are called stavekirke due to the characteristics of its construction.

The building stands on wooden slabs set on the stones, with a structure of thick circular posts (stav) that support a large framework of wood.

En Norway It seems that there were even 2.000 wooden Christian churches, and it is also known that the first palisade buildings were from the Viking era.

Most of these churches were built in Norway during the 3th and XNUMXth centuries, and by the XNUMXth century there were fewer than XNUMX churches left.

How to visit Vik Stave Church

Specifically the Hopperstad church in Vik It was built in the year 1130, being the second oldest after that of Urns, which is declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

We arrived in front of the church after a pleasant meal in the hotel blix, the most prominent in this area of ​​the Sognefjord. and finished renovating in December 2015.

The sunlight came out to illuminate the beautiful building and thus be able to take the photos that accompany this report and which are just a preview of the charming place that you will find when you visit it.

This church was acquired in 1880 by the Norwegian Ancient Monuments Conservation Society, which carried out a complete restoration of the building, which was very deteriorated after having stopped being used for religious services.

La Vik stave church It is located in a high area of ​​the area, surrounded by a cemetery and extensive meadows, and the landscape is completed with beautiful colorful houses.

The exterior of the church seems to have been considerably remodeled during the restoration at the end of the 19th century, as it had undergone several changes and extensions in the previous years.

For this the architect took as a model the Borgund church, maintaining its original wooden structure.

The exterior is surrounded by galleries with columns and it is truly surprising to see the interior with a complex all-wood structure. with 18 circular posts and Romanesque capitals.

In this interior, the canopy of wood in the altar area.

In short, an architectural jewel whose visit should not be missed in your route through the Norwegian fjords.

Vik wooden church visit schedules

Visiting hours for Vik Stave Church are currently 9 a.m. to 16 p.m. every day of the week.

Vik wooden church ticket prices

The entrance price is 80 Norwegian crowns (7,96 euros), 70 crowns for seniors and 60 crowns for children and students.

Map: how to get to Vik Stave Church

La Hopperstad stave church You find it on a route through the fjords that connects cities like Bergen y Alesund.

Specifically in the municipality of Vik adjacent to Sognefjord.