What to do and see in Telemark, Eastern Norway: The Best Sights & Landmarks

Mosstrond Church on the island of Hovden, was built in 1923 after the old church was destroyed by fire in a thunderstorm on Midsummer's Day in 1919. The new church was decorated by Sveinung Svalastoga, and has become a very special place of worship. Open on agreement. Guided tours to the church and the island of Hovden in the summer season, see below: Sightseeing tour to the Hovden Island: On Thursdays in the summer, cruises with a local guide operate from Skinnarbu to the island of Hovden, with its unique church at Mosstrond, beautifully decorated by the artist Sveinung Svalastoga from Rauland. This church has a unique and beautiful funeral custom: local people help to bury the coffin. Havard Giboen, the renowned Hardanger fiddle player, is buried here. The guide will tell about the history and present story of the rural comunity of Mosstrond.

Bo's Old Church belongs to a series of stone churches built in round, Romantic style in Norway from the early middle ages. Several of such churches can be found in Telemark, such as in Seljord, Kviteseid, and Bo. Their uncanny similarities suggest that they were built by the same people. The church in Bo was built around 1180 and was dedicated to St. Olaf. The semi-circle apse in the chancel was added at a later date. Some of the fixtures remaining from the middle ages are the cross over the chancel, a forged iron chandelier, and a three-panel carved wood altar, with the crowning of Mary featured in the middle panel. The niches with arched vaults on each side of the chancel doors are presente as well, even though they no longer have a practical function as side altars. Following the Reformation, the door on the south wall (which during the Catholic time was probably a processional door) was partially walled up to form a small window. One can also see out through the simple and beautiful entry portal, and two other windows were widened to serve the purpose of letting in light, which was necessary for the “new” Lutheran services in which reading the Bible was important. The church has slowly acquired the interior it now has. The oldest pew bears an inscription from 1579, and in the chancel on both sides of the altar are interesting panel paintings from around 1650 which illustrate a Bible verse or proverb. The pulpit and portal, the west gallery, and the altar table are also from the 1650s, and the painting on them was done from 1685—1687 in rich and deep colors that contrasted well with the white walls. The altar table has several depictions: Christ on the cross is in the center, and above it the triangle with the eye of God and they name Yahweh written in Hebrew. The pulpit and portal have inscriptions of Bible verses, and on the portal we see a depiction of Christ as ruler of the universe with the world in his hand. The gallery has nine biblical depictions of important happenings in the Bible, from creation to the apocalypse. The cathedral architect William Swensen described the characteristics of the Bo church in an article in which he stated: “It has something unique which hurls against a cathedral’s extravagant grandeur of stone blossoms and sculptures of towers and pinnacles—it has the purity and grace of flowers of the field and holy simplicity, which is perhaps the most difficult thing to attain in art.”

Myllarheimen in Arabygdi, Vinje, is the home of the artist and fiddler Torgeir Augundson (1801-1872), better known as Myllarguten. The smallholding Myllarheimen is where he lived the last years of his life. Myllarheimen is open for purchased guided tours.

Selstali seter er en ekte seter som gjennom generasjoner har holdt tradisjonen ved like.Her lever vi i ett med naturen og dyrene.Her har vi kuer, høner, griser, ender, koppelam, kaniner.Vi foredler all melken her pa gammelt vis. Lager ost, kinner smør, koker prim som du kan ta med deg hjem i sma beger eller nyte et godt maltid mat her. Flotte tur og fiskemuligheter. Hytteutleie.

Nesland Church, beside the road from amot to Dalen, is a wooden church built in 1847. It contains many artefacts from the old stave church that stood on the same site, including a crucifix, a font, portals and a pillory. The church was restored in 1927 and decorated by the rose painter oystein Vesaas. The altarpiece was painted by Dagfin Werenskiold. Open on agreement.

The Olav church ruin (Skeidi church) are the ruins of a stone church built before 1150 in Bamble. The church was probably about four feet longer than the ruins suggests, and was Telemark's largest stone church in earlier times. It had a number of unusual building features, including lektorium and a separate room for worldly goods, which today is called the Maria Chapel. Probably the church was the main church in Grenland, a kind of county church, and had probably the highest status of all churches in the area.

Brevik Church was built in 1963. It is a work church with congreation rooms. The altarpiece was painted by Terje Grostad. The church also has golden leather chairs made by former vicar Alf Kapstad.