Eidsborg Stave Church, Eidsborg, Norway

Eidsborg Stave Church is one of the best preserved Norwegian stave churches. The church was probably built between 1250-1300. The church is dedicated to the traveller's patron, St. Nicholas of Bari. It was partly reconstructed in the 19th century. The chorus was demolished in 1826. The new choir dates to the period 1845-50. The reconstruction work did not affect the structure or the shape of the church. It was restored in 1927 when painted figures and ornaments dating from the Renaissance and old murals from the 17th century were revealed.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Museumsvegen 210, Eidsborg, Norway

See all sites in Eidsborg

Details

Founded: 1250-1300
Category: Religious sites in Norway

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.visitnorway.com
www.vest-telemark.museum.no

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Anita Nagy (2 years ago)
Meseszép, elvarázsol a mult. Ezt látni kell. Hihetetlen élmény volt. ❤️

Cederik Leeuwe (3 years ago)
Secluded and beautiful location and gorgeous stave church. The place doesn't feel like a tourist magnet and the access to the church's grounds is free and unbarred. Lovely. (Little reminder : like all stave churches – or legally, any building – drone use is not permitted in its direct vicinity fly responsibly and according to laws in place).

Toke Ullvar Beyer-Clausen (3 years ago)
We spent three hours there. Something to inspire the whole family. The canal park is great for children and playful adults. The museum is interesting and the café has good coffee with Norwegian "snacks". The stave church is amazing and the guides are friendly. (Tip: Ask to see the runic inscriptions to the left of the south door. Most stave churches have them, but sadly most guides forget to mention them.)

jan erik johannessen (3 years ago)
One of the small stave churches in Norway with quite a few interesting stories. Well worth a visit.

Frank de Meer (5 years ago)
Nice typical stave church in Norway. Looks in perfect shape. Not a lot of parking space but who needs pace for a bike :-)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

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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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Eidsborg Stave Church