Ølen: Church, Farm History and Historic Routes

Ølen has a strong cultural and historical focus: the church, the Nerheimstunet farmstead and the old Postvegen reveal different aspects of the area’s history. The Lysløypa and the Ølen sentrum roundtur are two other routes through the area. This distinction can help with your trip planning: the church and farmstead focus on buildings and their former uses, the Postvegen on the historic transport link, and the two routes on their respective paths. When looking for a hotel, you can first decide whether you want to focus on cultural history or on routes through Ølen.

Ølen Church and its history

Ølen Church stands in the centre of Ølen, above the E 134, and was built in 1874. It is a traditional wooden long church with 550 seats. The church also contains several treasures from the old stave church that stood in Ølen in the 14th century. The year of construction and the church treasures point to different periods in the area’s history: the long church dates from the 19th century, while the stave church stood in Ølen as far back as the Middle Ages. For travellers with a particular interest in churches, both the building’s design and the earlier history of church life are relevant topics.

Nerheimstunet as a historic farmstead

Nerheimstunet is in Ølen and is one of the two original farmsteads on the Nerheim Store farm. The restored farmstead includes a barn, a cowshed, a fire house, a storehouse and a dwelling house. The different buildings make Nerheimstunet an ensemble rather than just a single dwelling house. The focus here is on the composition of a farm: the dwelling and other farm buildings belong together, but have different names. This makes the farming heritage thematically distinct from the church architecture of Ølen Church and adds another type of historic building to the area’s history.

The post road and routes through Ølen

The Postvegen through Ølen is part of the old postal route between Bergen and Stavanger. This historic connection sets it apart from the specific local routes of the other two paths. The Ølen sentrum roundtur starts behind the Ølen cultural centre, at the quay of Ølen Båtlag, and passes through Ølen’s historic centre. The illuminated Lysløypa starts east of the SR-Bank stadium, follows the Oselva to Hellevadvegen, then returns via the road to Øvrehagen and Steinbru and back to the stadium. The routes can therefore be distinguished by their respective themes: the Postvegen is a former long-distance connection, the round trip takes in the historic town centre, and the Lysløypa follows the Oselva before returning via the roads mentioned above.

More to explore in the Vindafjord destination

The wider Vindafjord destination also offers its own cultural and natural attractions. The Vindafjord Museum focuses on local craft and economic history, especially shipbuilding traditions. It is set up as a rural farmstead and includes the last telegraph station in Vindafjord municipality. Another highlight is Olalia, a hiking area in the Vindafjord destination that is used in winter, summer and autumn. There is an approximately five-kilometre illuminated trail between Oppheim and Fjellstøl. Marked trails and ski trails from Olalia lead to the hiking destinations of Hest, Vådli and Staurskar. Markings and trail conditions may vary by season. Thus, alongside its cultural and historical attractions, Vindafjord offers a different perspective on hiking trails and seasonal use.

Discover more destinations: Sandeid, Nedre Vats, Bjoa, Vikebygd, Vikedal, Kvaløyna, Skjold, Ølensvåg

For the full travel overview: Vindafjord.