Borgund Stave Church

Borgund Stave Church is situated within walking distance along a road almost no trafic. Built around 1150 A.D. an very ell preserved, it is the most distinctive of the Norwegian
Stave churches

New for the 2005 season was a new stave church museum. In a special exhibition, it will tell the story of Borgund Stave church and the other stave churches in the country.

The Vindhella Road

The vindhella Road is an ideal place to take a walk in summertime. It is part of the old Kongevegen (the king`s road) at the crossroad between East and West, which was completed around 1748 and was in general use for about 50 years.

The old highway and byways

Sognefjorden and Lærdal have always been an important route connecting eastern and western Norway, a fact to which generations of roades bears witness. St. Olav (king Olav Haraldsson) passed through the vally in 1023, leaving a wealth of local legends in his walk, such as the petrified troll "Jutlamann" at Bjørkum who, as a punishment for having challenged the king, stand 30 m. high, forever gazing blindly off into the vally.

Another landmark is the Olavsklemma pass the Sjurhaugfossen waterfall, where there are marks from the king having squeezed his horse through the narrow pass.
Olavsklemma was partly destroyed by the German fortifications here during WW2. King Sverre Sigurdson roade through the valley with his "birkebeinere" in 1177 - a decidedly mixed blessing for the folks from Lærdal. But one of the old roads - Sverrestigen - was constructed on his orders. It runs from Borgund Stave Church to Husum

The old road s are guite accessible and are generally maintained. Thay are ideal venues for walking and jogging.. Among the best maintained are the following: Sverrestien, Galdane in the narrow valley between the Sjurhaugfossen Waterfall and Selto. The King`s road over Filefjell with "the seven disapointments" up from Maristova(upgraded in 1793) andVindhella and Seltunåsen from 1843.