Lom: Stave Church, Mountain Museum and Mountain Nature

Fossbergom is the centre of Lom. The village lies below the Lomseggen mountain ridge and is a national park village and gateway to the Jotunheimen, Breheimen and Reinheimen national parks. The river, waterfall, museums and trails give your trip different focuses: you can combine cultural history and mountain nature without treating them as the same thing.

Fossbergom between the Bøvra and Prestfossen

The Bøvra flows through the centre of Fossbergom and over the Prestfossen waterfall. A zip line also crosses Prestfossen. The waterfall is therefore both part of the village’s scenery and the setting for a named activity; this does not imply anything about its current availability. Fossbergom also has restaurants serving locally produced food. The offerings at individual restaurants may change.

Stave church and museums

Lom Stave Church was built in the mid-12th century. The Norsk Fjellsenter is a mountain museum and visitor centre for Jotunheimen, Breheimen and Reinheimen. Its exhibitions cover mountain nature, climate, cultural history and outdoor life. The museum also displays Norway’s largest collection of glacial archaeological finds.

The Fossheim Steinsenter in the centre of Lom explores a different subject: it is a geological museum, jewellery gallery, shop and workshop. It exhibits Norwegian minerals from just over 700 locations. Outside the Steinsenter, children can collect and take home stones from the “Free pile”, which is replenished daily. The offering specifically involves collecting stones; it does not automatically describe other activities for children.

Circular walks and trails into the mountain landscape

Bergomsrunda is an easy circular walk of about 2.5 kilometres in the centre of Lom. A well-marked hiking trail also leads from the centre of Fossbergom to Lomseggen. The two routes differ in the way they are described: Bergomsrunda is a loop with an approximate distance, while the marked trail to Lomseggen names a hiking destination.

Another route leads from the village centre via Tronodberget, following in the footsteps of Saint Olav along Olasvsråket. Setervegen til fjells heads towards Skutlan and offers insights into nature and culture along the way. The trails mentioned therefore range from a loop in the centre to routes where the course of the trail or the information conveyed is the main focus.

Lom as a wider destination

Beyond Fossbergom, the wider destination of Lom includes other cultural and natural attractions. Lom Bygdamuseum is in Presthaugen, 300 metres from the centre of Fossbergom. The open-air museum comprises 22 heritage buildings that illustrate architectural styles and exterior and interior furnishings from 1613 to 1900. Storstabburet, built in 1613, houses a permanent exhibition about Lom’s distinctive irrigation and farming culture.

In Garmo, Dagsturhytta is a family-friendly hiking destination with a cabin open to everyone all year round. For cyclists, Sognefjellsvegen is another point of interest in the wider destination: the road runs between Lom and Gaupne, and some sections have gradients of up to 16 percent.

Lom bryggeri also produces Lomb Lagerbier in the wider destination, at Grjotheim. The brewery aims to source its raw materials locally and to maintain a local connection in its history and geography. A visit includes stories about the brewery’s history, a tour of the brewery and a beer tasting.

When choosing a hotel in Lom, you could first consider which of these themes you want to shape your stay: cultural sites and trails in the centre of Fossbergom, or destinations such as the open-air museum and Dagsturhytta in Garmo. This lets you base your choice of destination on the attractions mentioned.

Discover more destinations: Bøverkinnhalsen, Galdbygdi, Garmo, Bøverdalen.

Back to the wider travel guide: Lom.