Holmenkollen Chapel, Oslo, Norway

Standing: Must see
Rank: Rank 59 of 3,842

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Holmenkollen Chapel

Holmenkollen Chapel is a Church of Norway chapel in the Holmenkollen neighbourhood of the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, and a listed site. The first chapel, a panelled wooden building designed by Holger Sinding-Larsen, opened in 1903 for hikers who wanted to attend a Sunday service while out in the hills. It was destroyed by arson on 23 August 1992. Following popular demand for a church that looked like the original, a new chapel designed by architect Arne Sødal, half funded by a private collection, was completed in 1996.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

What's inside

The new chapel takes its inspiration from the stave churches of Rauland and Heidal, with massive planks and pine walls; its arches are made of solid spruce roots and only traditional handicraft techniques were used. All components were made in Vågå and brought to Holmenkollen by road to be assembled as a kit. It has stave church features and dragestil wood carvings. Besides the church, the complex has an assembly hall, a kitchen and meeting rooms. The royal family visits the chapel when staying at the nearby Royal Lodge, especially at Christmas and during the Holmenkollen competitions in March.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

Place details and sources

Building: Chapel OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place: Place of worship OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Established: 1996 Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architectural style: Art Nouveau architecture Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Religion: Christian OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Denomination: Lutheran OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Arne Sødal (1996)/H.Sinding-Larsen(1903) OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Holger Sinding-Larsen Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Operator: Kirkelig fellesråd i Oslo OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: Holmenkollen Chapel Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09