At the western end of the lake sits Øye, home to one of Norway's most unusual stave churches. Øye Stavkirke has quite a story to tell. The original church was built right next to the lake back in the 14th century. Unfortunately, being so close to the water wasn't a brilliant idea. The constant moisture caused the timber to rot badly.
By 1727, the community had no choice but to tear it down completely. Here's where it gets interesting. When they built the replacement church, they stored parts of the old medieval structure under the floor.
Those pieces sat there forgotten for over 200 years until a carpenter stumbled across them in 1935. The community decided to rebuild the original stave church using these surviving medieval timbers. The reconstruction took years to complete. The church finally reopened in 1965.
The setting is quite lovely, right by the lake shore. There's now a modern visitor centre with displays in English.
It's one of the smaller stave churches you'll see in Norway, but the story behind it makes it worth the stop.
It's only open on certain days during summer.
By 1727, the community had no choice but to tear it down completely. Here's where it gets interesting. When they built the replacement church, they stored parts of the old medieval structure under the floor.
Those pieces sat there forgotten for over 200 years until a carpenter stumbled across them in 1935. The community decided to rebuild the original stave church using these surviving medieval timbers. The reconstruction took years to complete. The church finally reopened in 1965.
The setting is quite lovely, right by the lake shore. There's now a modern visitor centre with displays in English.
It's one of the smaller stave churches you'll see in Norway, but the story behind it makes it worth the stop.
It's only open on certain days during summer.