Urnes stavkyrkje
The oldest stave church still standing, built about 1130, and Norway's first entry on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The north portal is older than the church itself — reused from an eleventh-century building, its beasts and interlace carved in a style that took its name from this place.
The facts
| Elevation | 120 m |
| Coordinates | 61.2981, 7.3228 |
| Time to allow | 2 h |
What to see
- Urnes stavkyrkje Sight
The oldest of them all, from about 1130, and Norway's first entry on the UNESCO World Heritage list. - Ferja Solvorn–Urnes Activity
Twenty minutes across the Lustrafjord. The church is all but unreachable without it. - Solvorn Sight
- Ornes gard Viewpoint
In winter
The stave church keeps a summer season and the boat across the Lustrafjord runs in season. Winter visits are by arrangement, and the road round the fjord is a long one.
Month by month
| Month | Daylight | Day high | Wet days | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.4 h | -1.3 °C | 17 | Closed |
| February | 9.1 h | -0.9 °C | 14 | Closed |
| March | 11.7 h | 1.9 °C | 16 | Closed |
| April | 14.7 h | 6.3 °C | 13 | Closed |
| May | 17.5 h | 10.9 °C | 15 | Open |
| June | 19.3 h | 15.9 °C | 16 | Open |
| July | 18.5 h | 18.9 °C | 17 | Open |
| August | 15.9 h | 17.7 °C | 17 | Open |
| September | 12.9 h | 13.3 °C | 16 | Open |
| October | 10.1 h | 7 °C | 16 | Closed |
| November | 7.3 h | 1.6 °C | 16 | Closed |
| December | 5.5 h | -1.3 °C | 17 | Closed |
Background
Urnes Stave Church (Norwegian: Urnes stavkyrkje) is a 12th-century stave church at Ornes, along the Lustrafjorden, in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The church sits on the eastern side of the fjord, directly across the fjord from the village of Solvorn and about five kilometres (3 mi) east of the village of Hafslo.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
On these routes
- Otta–Flåm — Besseggen, Galdhøpiggen and the Sognefjell road — straight through Norway's high mountains, from the Dovre Line to the Bergen Line.