Nederluleå Church, Gammelstad, Sweden

Nederluleå church is the largest medieval church in Norrland. It was built during the 15th century and inaugurated by Archbishop Jacob Ulfsson in 1492. The church has a very rich interior and furnishings. The late-mediaeval frescos in the chancel were by the school of Albertus Pictor.

The richly decorated triptych was made in Antwerpen around 1520 and it is one of the finest in Sweden. The font and cruficix date also from the late Middle Ages. The wooden pulpit was carved by Nils Fluur in 1712.

References:

Address

Kyrktorget 2, Gammelstad, Sweden

See all sites in Gammelstad

Details

Founded: 1492
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Gammelstad Church Town (0 km)

Luleå Cathedral (8,9 km)
Museum of Norrbotten (8,7 km)
Råneå Church (26,2 km)
Boden Fortress (23,7 km)

User Reviews

Alexander Majorov (3 years ago)
Väldigt fin byggnad och fantastisk atmosfär under sommaren!

Jane Fagerström (3 years ago)
Nederluleån kirkko on ihana ja tunnelmallinen vanha kirkko, joka kutsuu hiljentymään Pyhän äärelle. Se on Norrlannin suurin keskiaikainen kirkko, jonka historian aistii jo kirkon ympärille rakennetusta Gammelstadin mökkikylästä. Kirkko on mökkikylän ohella osa Unescon maailmanperintökohdetta. Kirkon alttaritaulu on todella upea lukuisine yksityiskohtineen ja esimerkiksi saarnastuoli on hyvin koristeellinen. Kirkosta löytyy kivana yksityiskohtana lasten leikkialttari. Iso suositus tälle kirkolle: Älä aja ohi!

Wolfgang Buelter (3 years ago)
Sehr schöne Kirche in Gammelstad / Nederlulea. Interessante Innenausstattung.

Maria N (3 years ago)
Interesting looking church with curious history. People working at the church are always happy to tell more about it. Leaflets with church’s history are available in multiple languages. Overall, worth a visit.

Niilo Alhovaara (5 years ago)
The beautiful stone church from the 15th century is the natural center of the UNESCO world heritage village. The hundreds of church cottages are scattered around the church. The amazing sounding church organ was built in Gammelstad, Grönlunds!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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Nederluleå Church