On top of Hollahaugen, a hilltop overlooking Ulefoss, stand the remains of a stone church from around 1100. It is one of the oldest church sites in Telemark, and there is evidence it may have been built on the foundations of a Norse hov, a pagan gathering place where people honoured the old gods before Christianity arrived.
The building stones came from a limestone quarry near Norsjø, connected to the Fensfeltet, remnants of a volcano that was active roughly 580 million years ago. The same geological formation supplied iron ore to Ulefos Jernværk down the hill. Both the ruin and the Fen geology are now part of Gea Norvegica Geopark, one of UNESCO's Global Geoparks.
The church was partially torn down in 1878 after a new brick church was built nearby. What remained fell into disrepair until restorations in the 1920s, funded by Eleonore Cappelen, and again in 2010 as part of the national ruin preservation programme.
The ruin is freely accessible and sits in a peaceful spot with views over the valley. It is a 5-minute drive from Ulefoss centre.
The building stones came from a limestone quarry near Norsjø, connected to the Fensfeltet, remnants of a volcano that was active roughly 580 million years ago. The same geological formation supplied iron ore to Ulefos Jernværk down the hill. Both the ruin and the Fen geology are now part of Gea Norvegica Geopark, one of UNESCO's Global Geoparks.
The church was partially torn down in 1878 after a new brick church was built nearby. What remained fell into disrepair until restorations in the 1920s, funded by Eleonore Cappelen, and again in 2010 as part of the national ruin preservation programme.
The ruin is freely accessible and sits in a peaceful spot with views over the valley. It is a 5-minute drive from Ulefoss centre.