Urnes stave church. Photo: Arve Kjersheim©Directorate for Cultural Heritage
A number of our stave churches are deteriorating
Norway originally had between 1000 and 2000 stave churches, but only 28 are still standing. All the churches now have fire protection systems that are operative at all times. However, a number of them are poorly maintained and there is a risk that they will deteriorate further in the next few years. A few are showing the first signs of structural damage.
Considerable financial resources and a high standard of craftsmanship will be needed to restore them properly. Their owners need to carry out major tasks such as tarring the exterior, replacing the wooden roof shingles, restoring and maintaining artwork, and maintaining and upgrading fire protection systems.
Natural decay and lack of maintenance
Stave churches are deteriorating because of a combination of natural decay and lack of maintenance.
Tourism results in wear and tear
Some of the stave churches are very popular tourist destinations, which results in wear and tear. The number of visitors varies widely from one church to another. Urnes stave church, the only one on UNESCO's World Heritage List, has 10 000 visitors a year.
Visits by tourists generate a considerable amount of activity and income opportunities for local communities. However, the stave churches are vulnerable to wear and tear. It is difficult to reduce the number of visitors and at the same time maintain cooperation with the tourist industry. We must find ways of encouraging tourism that have positive local effects but also reduce wear and tear on the stave churches.
Click on a name to read more about the stave church
Map of stave churches
The stave church programme 2001-2015
The restoration and maintenance of stave churches and other wooden medieval buildings requires special expertise. We need to train craftsmen and make use of traditional knowledge of skills and materials. This is costly, and for many of the owners of stave churches, not possible without substantial grants from the state. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage´s stave church restoration programme, which started in 2001 and is running to 2015, sets out to restore all the churches to a satisfactory standard.
The main purposes are to maintain the churches' historical value for posterity and their value as historical and economic resources for local communities. There must be made agreements about their maintenance, which should provide local employment and make use of local materials. This might increase activities related to the use of traditional materials and resources. The development of expertise is essential to ensure that the churches are properly maintained.
Fire protection
All the stave churches have fire protection systems to reduce the risk of irreplaceable buildings being damaged by fire or lost altogether. The systems are continiously maintained. All fire protection measures should be carried out with as little physical damage to the fabric of the building as possible, particularly to the medieval parts.