Kvikne Copper Works was founded in 1630, the first copper mine in Mid-Norway and for several years the largest in the country. The prosperity it brought kept people from leaving and made farming more profitable, but it also made the old stave church far too small. In 1652, the mining company donated timber and the local supervisor Knut Mortensen designed a replacement: a brown wooden cruciform church completed in 1654. Inside is one of the finest altarpieces in Norway, probably carved by Johan Bildsnider from Trondheim.
The copper works eventually declined, but the church it paid for survived. The building was restored in 1738-1739, and the interior retains much of its original character. Kvikne itself sits on the old road between Tynset and Oppdal, a quieter route through farming country with none of the tourist traffic of the main valleys.
The copper works eventually declined, but the church it paid for survived. The building was restored in 1738-1739, and the interior retains much of its original character. Kvikne itself sits on the old road between Tynset and Oppdal, a quieter route through farming country with none of the tourist traffic of the main valleys.