Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik in Sogn has a similar construction as Borgund Stave Church in Lærdal. It was built around year 1130 AD and is one of our oldest Stave Churches.
Hopperstad Stave Church is situated in Vik, which is a fjord village by the Sognefjord. This is in the same area as Balestrand, but on the opposite side of the fjord and two ferry routes away.
Visit Sognefjord
Visit Sognefjord is the official destination company for Vik in Sogn and the Sognefjord area.
Stave Churches in Western Norway
A Stave Church is a wooden church from the middle age. Most of the Norwegian Stave Churches were built right after the Viking Age around year 1100-1200. The name “Stave Church” comes from the construction of the buildings; large ground beams of wood are placed on a foundation of stone, then internal wooden pillars (staves) are interconnected and also connected to the outer walls.
Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik
Hopperstad Stave Church is situated on the farm Hopperstad in Vik in Sogn. The stave church was built around year 1130 AD and is one of the oldest stave churches in Norway. Dating that has been carried out in recent times from several samples of the timber shows that the timber in the stave church were cut between the years 1034 and 1116 AD.
Around year 1880 AD the church was reconstructed, and Borgund Stave Church was used as a “model”. It is believed that the church originally was similar to Borgund Stave Church. Most of the interior is preserved as it was originally.
Several external portals on Hopperstad Stave Church are richly decorated. There are wood carvings with, among other motifs, dragon motifs. In summer you can join a guided “tour” in Hopperstad Stave Church.
Season: See Hopperstad Stave Church website for season and opening hours.
Hove Stone Church in Vik
Hove Stone Church was built around year 1170 AD and is one of the oldest Stone Churches in Norway. Hove Stone Church is situated on the farm Hove in Vik in Sogn, only two kilometers distance from Hopperstad Stave Church. Hove Stone Church is open for visit during summer.
Season: See Hove Stone Church website for season and opening hours.
Vik in Sogn
Vik in Sogn is best known for Hopperstad Stave Church and as the Old Chees’ home village.
The TINE Dairy which is based in the center of Vik, has its own Cheese Bar with a main focus on Old Cheese. The facility in Vik produces more than 65 tonnes of Old Cheese annually. In addition, they produce Mylsa which is a traditional cheese and they also receive large quantities of local raspberries that are turned into juice.
Vik Adventure take you in a RIB-Boat to beautiful and hidden gems in the Sognefjord area, like Arnafjorden and Finnabotn. They also do tours to other branches of the Sognefjord on private tours, such as the UNESCO Protected Nærøyfjord.
Sylvringen arrange Guided Cultural Tours in Vik, like the Historical Tour where you will visit both Hopperstad Stave Church and Hove Stone Church. They also do a tour to Hovsåsen which is a 12 kilometer long hike where you get to see the beautiful view of Vik from “above”. On some of the tours you will get the chance to taste the Old Cheese that is produced in Vik.
Vik is also the gateway to Stølsheimen Protected Landscape area. The protected landscape area represents a beautiful Western mountain- and fjord landscape and covers a total of 373 km². Vikafjellet is the most common approach to Stølsheimen, the Vikafjellsvegen between Vik and Vinje goes over Vikafjellet.
The area in and around Vik is also a popular starting point for many great mountain hikes. Most of them have fantastic fjord view over the Sognefjord, the King of the Fjords.
Fjordsafari on the Sognefjord to Arnafjorden and Finnabotn in a RIB Boat
Vik Adventure in Vik offers fjord sightseeing in a RIB boat starting from Vik in Sogn. A tour on the Sognefjord to Arnafjorden and Finnabotn is an adventure you will never forget. Vik Adventure also offers other RIB adventures in addition to fishing trips and private tours. The video below shows a RIB boat tour from Balestrand to Finnabotn via Kvamsøy.
Finnabotnen – A Fjord Lodge in the untouched Finnafjord
Finnabotnen Fjord Lodge is located in Finnabotnen, deep inside the Finnafjord, which is an arm of the Sognefjord. There you can stay in wonderful surroundings. If the Sognefjord is mighty, the roadless Finnafjord is even more mighty. The mountains that surround the Finnafjord are precipitous, and the countless waterfalls are a great sight as they plunge down towards the fjord. Finnabotn is part of the Stølsheimen Protected Landscape area, which consists of a beautiful Western mountain- and fjord landscape.
The statue of Fridtjof den Frøkne at Vangsnes
Due to the beautiful nature, the wild mountains and the location down by the fjord, Balestrand became a favorite place to visit among artists and the Norwegian and foreign society from the end of the 19th century until the beginning of World War I.
Germany´s Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany visited Balestrand several times, and it was an impressive sight when he entered the Sognefjord with his warships to spend his holidays there. Emperor Wilhelm II was a great enthusiast of Norway and especially the fjords in Western Norway. He vacationed in Balestrand over a period of more than 20 years, and he travelled there with his imperial ship Hohenzollern, which was followed by several other ships from the German navy.
The statue of Fridtjof den Frøkne that is placed at Vangsnes, 11 kilometers from Vik in Sogn, was a gift from the Emperor to the Norwegian people. The statue is 12 meters high, it is placed on a plinth which is 10 meters high. The enormous statue was unveiled on 31 July 1913.
Balestrand by the Sognefjord
In the middle of the Sognefjord, where the fjord is at its widest and the mountains starts to rise, you’ll find Balestrand, an idyllic village down by the fjord. Balestrand is one of the first places the foreign tourists visited when they discovered Norway in the mid-19th century.
Sognefjord – What to See and Do
The Sognefjord, the king of the fjords, is the longest fjord adventure in Norway. The Sognefjord is 204 kilometers long and 1308 meters deep at its deepest. Join a guided glacier walk on the Nigardsbreen glacier, see the beautiful stave churches. Join a fjord safari or a fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord. Experience the view from Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord. Take a short hike to Mt Molden in Luster and you will see the fantastic view down to the Lustrafjord. Balestrand is one of the first places the foreign tourists visited when they discovered Norway in the mid-19th century. The Fjærlandsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord, the Årdalsfjord and the Lustrafjord are all branches of the Sognefjord. These side fjords are perhaps even more famous than the Sognefjord itself, which is located in the middle of western Norway. The Sognefjord is so long that it almost divides Norway in two.
References
Stavechurch.com
Fortidsminneforeningen
Visit Sognefjord
Wikipedia
Accommodation in Vik in Sogn
Blix Hotell
Sæbøfjosen
Vik Camping
Finnabotn Fjord Lodge
Vik in Sogn – Useful Links
Vikjavev – About Vik in Sogn.
Vik Adventure – RIB Boat to hidden gems on the Sognefjord.
Hopperstad Stave Church from 1130 AD.
Hove Stone Church from from 1170 AD.
Sylvringen – Guided cultural tours in Vik in Sogn.
The TINE Dairy and Cheese Bar in the center of Vik.
Amazing Fjords – Talormade Norwegian Fjord Adventure, based at Vangsnes.