Borgund stave church

Borgund Stave Church (Borgund stavkirke) is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Lærdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway.

The old stave church is located in the village of Borgund. It was the church for the Lærdal parish until 1868 when it was closed and turned into a museum. The brown, wooden church was built in a stave church design around the year 1200. It is classified as a triple-nave stave church of the Sogn-type.

No longer regularly used for church functions, it is now a museum that is owned and operated by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. It was replaced by the “new” Borgund Church in 1868.

The entrance to the stave church is at the Visitor’s Centre opposite the stave church. In the Visitor Centre you can see an exhibition of the history of stave churches in Norway, and there is a restaurant and a souvenir shop.

The area surrounding Borgund Stave Church is rich in historic cultural heritage. Vindhellavegen, part of the Kings Road across Filefjell, is situated right by the church and offers beautiful walking possibilities. This renovated, historic path was awarded “Norway’s most beautiful road“ by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in 2014. The Kings Road across Filefjell was one of the winners of the Europa Nostra Cultural Heritage Award in 2017. Borgund Stave Church is certified Environmental Lighthouse since 2010.