Borgund Stave Church

Borgund Stave Church stands in the Lærdal valley at Borgund, in Vestland county, Norway, on the old road between eastern Norway and the west coast. It was built around 1180 and is considered the best-preserved of the roughly 28 surviving stave churches in the country. The building is made of pine, treated with tar, and its structure is formed from vertical posts, or staves, resting on a stone base. The exterior has a stepped, four-tiered roof covered with wooden shingles, a separate tower and ornamental dragon heads on the gables that reflect the earlier Norse carving tradition. Carved portals, including a famous west portal with interlacing vines and beasts, are among the most important decorations, and the walls include small openings in the form of 'wind eyes'. Inside, the church is dark and compact, with a nave and chancel and a simple interior supported by the tall central posts. A bell tower stands a short distance away. The church ceased to be used as a regular parish church in 1870 when a new church was built nearby, and it was saved from decay by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments, which acquired it in 1877 and has looked after it since. Maintenance includes regular retarring of the exterior. A visitor centre and a small exhibition near the church provide context on the building's history and construction, and a shop operates in the season. The setting among farms and mountains in the Lærdal valley adds to its appeal, and it forms a popular stop on the road between Bergen and Oslo.