Heddal Stave Church and Vrangfoss Locks

Friday, 16 June, 2023

Heddal Stave Church

This is the second Stave Church we’ve visited, this one is the largest one still standing and is still an operating church.

Stave church’s are a mixture of christianity and the Norway traditional ways. Like the masks on the wall is Thor and they also have a cross. The men back in the day would bring their axe to the church but they would be kept in the area between outside and inside.

Built around 1250, some of the post have been replaced over the years, however the main corner posts are more than 900 years old and in perfect condition.

The look and the smell are special, they burn incense at their services and it’s this that gives the church a distinctive smell.

The church has converted a barn into a combined shop, museum and extra church ….they get a lot of people to service.

Intricate carvings in the door mantels.

The Bishop’s chair

But what is a Norwegian without an Axe!

This is the room over in the barn.

We noticed all over Norway you get these small groups of vintage bikes and cars out for a tour.

This is from a local artist, who has painted these wooden plates and bowls, he has done guitar, boxes, chairs, all sorts of things in the same pattern, techniques. Very intricate designs.

Vrangfoss Locks of Telemark Canal

Simpler transport of people and goods and easier lumber floating were the two main reasons why the canal was built. Back in the 1890’s the roads were nearly impassable by horse and cart. The Telemark Canal was carved into the rock over 100 years ago. When the Canal was completed in 1892, it was called the “eight wonder”. The canal connects the coast of Telemark with the interior region with a series of eight locks (with a total of 16 lock chambers) at a distance of 105 km from Skien to Dalen. Vrangfoss is the canal’s largest lock system, with five lock chambers and a lifting height of 23 metres. It is still operated manually, exactly as when it opened in 1892. There are 5 locks and we got to watch the ferry go through the locks. It was the first day of the season and we got there 5 minutes before one of the two ferry’s arrived. Lucky is better than well planned any day.