A main reason we visited the Oslo area was to take a day trip to Uvdal to see the Uvdal Stave Church. While it was about a two and half hour drive one way, it was worth every minute.
"Norwegian stave churches are a unique type of medieval wooden church characterized by their distinctive post and lintel construction. They are considered a significant part of Norway's architectural heritage and a unique contribution to world architecture. These churches were primarily built between 1050 and 1350 and are the oldest preserved wooden churches in Christianity." Additionally, the Uvdal Stave church was of special interest to our family, since on one of the church pews a family name (and likely a geographical indicator), "Huseby", was painted.
The office where we checked in and storehouse were two of the original buildings found on the property. Although there were other farm buildings added later, we spent most of our time in these two buildings besides the actual Stave Church. After our tour was over, the office was also our small gift shop and afternoon coffee stop. It was a very quaint way to end our trip sipping on some coffee and treats.
"The Numedal Valley contains the best-preserved collection of medieval buildings in Norway. It has four Stave Churches alone. Compared to the other stave churches (Flesberg, Rollag, and Nore), Uvdal is high on the hillside. Moreover, it is still surrounded by ancient farm buildings. This church was in use until the late 19th century when the town built a new church further down the valley."
"The original stave churches were very small, and over the centuries they became impractical. Because of this, they have been constantly expanded, renovated, and redesigned. For Uvdal, it’s almost as if each century has added something to the church." Typically the expansions were just simple add-ons to the original structure. Building the church to be longer, or wider, with new rectangles added to make the church larger. The exterior is paneled, and covered in tar, as are all Stave Churches.
