NoeFlandre/osm-polygon-wikidata-only huggingface dataset:
Birkenes Church

Birkenes Church (Norwegian: Birkenes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Birkenes Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mollestad, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) southwest of the municipal centre of Birkeland. It is the church for the Birkenes parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform design in 1858 using plans drawn up by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church seats about 650 people. History The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1344, but the church was not new that year, it was likely built in the 1100s. The first church on this site was a stone building that had a rectangular nave and a narrower, nearly square-shaped choir. Over the years, a wooden tower was added on the west end of the building. From 1660 to 1662, a new entry was constructed for the church and repairs to the tower were undertaken. During the 1680s, the church was whitewashed on the inside and outside. From 1723 until 1762, the church was sold into private ownership. In 1820, the tower was taken down and rebuilt. A sacristy was built in 1841. In 1858, the old church was torn down and a new wooden church was built on the same site. Some of the stone from its walls was reused in the foundation of a new church and to build stone walls surrounding the church cemetery. The new wooden church was consecrated on 1 December 1858 by the Bishop Jacob von der Lippe. In 1964, the zinc-covered tower was redone with a new copper roof. In 1987, the sacristy was enlarged to include a small kitchen. Cemetery The cemetery surrounds the church and it has been expanded several times. In 1888-1889, the main gate was moved from the west side to the east side, opposite the sacristy. There is also a gate on the south side. Starting in 1965, work was done to create a mortuary room under the sacristy. After much back and forth, a separate mortuary was built in 1970 using drawings by the architect Gabriel Tallaksen. In 1981, a tool house with a break room for cemetery workers was built as well. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Grimstad Church

Grimstad Church (Norwegian: Grimstad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Grimstad Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the town of Grimstad. It is the church for the Grimstad parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The large, green, wooden church was built in a cruciform design in 1881 using plans drawn up by the architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer. The church seats about 1,000 people, making it one of the largest wooden churches in Norway. History The first church in the growing town of Grimstad was built in 1849 on a prominent hill overlooking the harbour. The new church was consecrated on 2 December 1849. The church was designed by the architect Wilhelm Hanstein. The church was not very large, so it was quickly outgrown by the town. There was also a cemetery surrounding the church, but just like the original church, it quickly filled up and it is no longer used. A new cemetery was opened in Frivoll in 1872 and it has been in use since that time. In 1881, the church building was disassembled and moved to the nearby parish of Nedenes and it was rebuilt to become the Engene Church (in present-day Arendal Municipality). After the old church was taken away, a new, much larger church was built in Grimstad and it was consecrated on 7 April 1881. The new church was quite large, making it the third largest wooden church in Norway (after Mandal Church and Vågan Church). Originally, the church was said to seat 1,150 but with today's fire codes, it is now said to seat up to 1,000 people. This was the first Neo-Gothic church in Norway to have its exterior paint examined in the 1960s. After discovering the original colors, the parish had the church repainted to its original colors of a light green with contrasting trim painted in yellow and red ochre. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Tvedestrand Church

Tvedestrand Church (Norwegian: Tvedestrand kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tvedestrand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the town of Tvedestrand. It is the church for the Tvedestrand parish which is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The red, brick church was built in a long church design in 1860 using plans drawn up by the architect Georg Andreas Bull. The church seats about 300 people. History The town of Tvedestrand was established in 1836. The people of the new town did not have a church of their own so as the town grew, plans were made for a new church to be built in the town. The foundation stone was laid on 26 July 1860 and the church was consecrated by the bishop on 20 November 1861. Since it was built in the central part of the town, there is no churchyard around the church, but instead the church cemetery is located about 500 metres (0.31 mi) to the northwest of the church in a more rural area. The cemetery was opened on 28 November 1866. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Froland Church

Froland Church (Norwegian: Froland kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Froland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Froland. It is one of the two churches for the Froland parish which is part of the Arendal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1718 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect. The church seats about 295 people. History The earliest existing historical records of the parish date back to the year 1399 and the earliest existing records of the church are from 1425 as the "Frodelands Sogn i Nidardal", however the church was likely founded during the late 13th or early 14th century (before the Black Death in Norway). By the beginning of the 1700s, the old church was quite dilapidated, so in 1704 there was a royal resolution that stipulated that the old church be torn down and replaced. However, Bishop Jens Bircherod would not allow the church to be torn down before the financing for the new was in order. He asked every farm to deliver timber for the new church. During the demolition of the old church 1715, old idols were found which were thrown into the nearby river. The new church was completed in 1718 on the site of the old church. The new church was consecrated on 1 November 1718. In 1727, a large tower and steeple was built above a new entry porch. In 1887, the church was enlarged to the east. The old choir was torn down, the nave was lengthened by 3 metres (9.8 ft), and then a new choir built at the east end of the building. A sacristy was built on the north and south sides of the new choir as well. After World War II, a complete restoration of the church was carried out. See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Mykland Church

Mykland Church (Norwegian: Mykland kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Froland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mykland. It is one of the two churches for the Froland parish which is part of the Arendal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a octagonal design in 1832 using plans drawn up by the architect Gunder Olsen. The church seats about 150 people. History Prior to 1683, the residents of the Mykland area had to travel to the stave church in nearby Vegusdal to worship. The King sent a letter to the people of Mykland on 20 December 1681 to inform them that they had permission to build a church in their parish wherever they felt was best. So, in 1683, a church was built in Mykland. It was a timber-framed church using wood from the abundant forests in the area. The church bell was cast in the Netherlands (and it was saved and used in the present church). The church had rows of pews that were assigned to each farm in the parish, with men and women sitting on either side of the church. In 1723, the church was sold during the Norwegian church auction by King Frederick IV to help the finances of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway after the Great Northern War. The church was owned privately from 1723 until 1806 when the local residents of the parish purchased it. In 1827, when the Bishop was visiting the church, it was decided that the church was too small for the parish, so planning began for a new church. The old church was demolished in 1829 and the new church was constructed on the same site. The residents wanted an octagonal church like the nearby Hornnes Church and Årdal Church, so they hired Gunder Olsen from Bygland as the architect and lead builder since he had worked on both of those other churches. The new church was completed in 1832 and it was consecrated on 23 September 1832. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Vestre Moland Church

Vestre Moland Church (Norwegian: Vestre Moland kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lillesand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Møglestu, just outside the town of Lillesand. It is one of the churches for the Lillesand parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, stone church was built in a long church design around the year 1150 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect, but has since been converted into a cruciform design. The church seats about 350 people. History The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1347, but the stone long church was likely built around the year 1150. The stone walls were built about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) thick. Gradually, the medieval church is expanded. First, a small choir area and a tower was added to the building. The altarpiece with a painting from around the year 1630 is by German painter Gottfried Hendtzschel. The pulpit is from 1660. In 1742, a sacristy was added. In 1797, the eastern portion of the old stone church was torn down and a timber-framed addition was built which turned the building into a cruciform design. The medieval stone section that remained, made up the western cross arm of the church after the addition and this design of the church has remained since then. In 1898, a new neo-Gothic tower was built above the entry porch to the building. In 1814, this church served as an election church (Norwegian: valgkirke). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet at Eidsvoll Manor later that year. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References External links Media related to Vestre Moland kirke at Wikimedia Commons
Flosta Church

Flosta Church (Norwegian: Flosta kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Arendal Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located just north of the village of Narestø on the island of Flostaøyawooden church was built in a long church design in 1632 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect (it was later converted to a cruciform design). The church seats about 290 people. History The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1467, but the church was not new that year. The old church was possibly built around the year 1300. Not much is known about the old church, but in 1628, the church was described as old and dilapidated. In 1632, the church was torn down and replaced with a new building on the same site. Around 1700, the church was expanded and got a new choir on the east side of the building. In 1735-1736 a bell tower was added on the west end of the building. In 1739, there was a small fire in the church, but there was little damage. In 1747, the church was expanded by adding two wings on the north and south sides to create a cruciform design. The builder Ole Nielsen Weierholt led this work. In 1814, this church served as an election church (Norwegian: valgkirke). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national election. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet at Eidsvoll Manor later that year. There was another small fire in the building in 1824. In 1864, the church was enlarged again with Anders Thorbjørnsen as builder. The roof was raised higher and the building was extended to the east. The choir was moved into the new addition on the east end. During this renovation, the church was given a neo-Gothic design. In 1976, the church was restored and renovated with consultation by National Heritage Board and the interior was brought back to its 1747 look. The choir was moved to the north end of the church and the east end (where the choir used to be) was turned into a church hall. There were small fires in the church 1980 and again in 1988, but neither caused major damage. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Eidanger Church

Eidanger Church (Norwegian: Eidanger kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Eidanger. It is one of the churches for the Eidanger parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, stone church was built in a long church design around the year 1150 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect. The church seats about 200 people. History The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1398, but the church was not built that year. The Romanesque stone church was built around the year 1150. At the time of its construction, it included a 13.5-by-8.3-metre (44 ft × 27 ft) nave and on the east side of the nave was a smaller chancel that was narrower and had a lower roofline. The walls of the building were about 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) thick. In 1787, the church was enlarged. The west wall was torn down and the nave was extended westwards with the construction of a timber-framed addition. At the same time, the church got a new bell tower and church porch on the west end of the newly enlarged nave. Also during this project, the chancel's apse was removed, giving the room a rectangular shape. After this addition, the chancel area was moved into the same room as the nave and the old chancel was closed off and turned into a sacristy. In 1814, this church served as an election church (Norwegian: valgkirke). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in Eidsvoll later that year. In 1852, most of the exterior of the church was clad in wooden siding to give the part-stone and part-wood building a more uniform appearance. In 1920–1921, the church was renovated to bring back some of the historic look of the old building using plans by Domenico Erdmann. The sacristy (the old medieval chancel) was re-opened and set up once again as a choir. The old stone altar was no longer, so a wooden altar was installed. In the 1970s, the wooden siding on the exterior stone walls was removed, and the bell tower was restored to its original appearance from 1787. In 1981, a new sacristy was built off the north side of the choir. In 1991, Terje Grøstad made a new altarpiece and pulpit as well as stained glass windows, a crucifix, and a processional cross for the church. An attempt was made to set the church on fire in 1996, but the fire extinguished itself. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Kilebygda Church

Kilebygda Church (Norwegian: Kilebygda kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Rognsbru. It is one of the churches for the Kilebygda og Solum parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in an octagonal design in 1859 using plans drawn up by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church seats about 300 people. History The area of Kilebygda was historically land owned by the Løvenskiold family and it was the site of the Bolvik ironworks. When the ironworks went bankrupt in 1841, the area was bought up by many local farmers. These farmers lived quite a distance from the Melum Church and it was a long journey across land and crossing the lake Kilevannet. On 15 March 1854, the municipal council was set to discuss acquiring more land to expand the cemetery surrounding Solum Church. The farmers from Kilebygda then made their request for a new church there. The farmers argued that building a new church and cemetery in Kilebygda would avoid the need to acquire more land for a larger cemetery in Solum. The municipality agreed to build a church in Kilebygda in November of 1854. The budget for the new church was 2000 kr because the local farmers had all agreed to provide the wood for the church themselves. Gunnar Kongerød was hired to build the new church using plans by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The plans called for an octagonal nave with a square chancel on the east side and a square church porch on the west end. There is a tower on the center of the nave's roof. The church was completed in the summer of 1859 and it was consecrated on 15 September 1859. The Kilebygda Church cemetery was established at the same time as the church. The ground surrounding the church was not particularly suitable for a burial ground unfortunately. In 1883, a new cemetery was built about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the south in Rognsbru instead. This new cemetery was on good burial ground, but this caused dissatisfaction among the people in the parish. A few years later, the land of the old cemetery was filled in with better soil and then the original cemetery was put back into use. Both cemeteries are still in use. Media gallery See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Luksefjell Church

Luksefjell Church (Norwegian: Luksefjell kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Luksefjell. It is one of the churches for the Gjerpen parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a rectangular design in 1858 using plans drawn up by the architect Anders Thorsen. The church seats about 104 people. History During the Middle Ages, there was a church in Luksefjell, but it was closed centuries ago, with very little known about the building or its location. Around the mid-1800s, the residents in the rural northern part of Gjerpen municipality wanted an annex chapel to be built in their area so they wouldn't need to travel the 20 to 25 kilometres (12 to 16 mi) to Gjerpen Church. The Løvenskiold family donated land at Luksefjell, on the shore of the lake Fjellvannet. Anders Thorsen was hired to design and build the chapel in 1858. The new chapel was consecrated on 27 October 1858. The wooden building has a rectangular design with the nave and choir in the same room. There is a sacristy in a smaller room to the east of the main room. In 1873, a new tower was built on the west end of the nave. There is a church porch under the tower. In 1948, the church was wired for electricity. In 1960, a new copper roof was installed. Around the turn of the 21st century, the chapel was made a parish church and re-named as Luksefjell Church. See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Gulset Church

Gulset Church (Norwegian: Gulset kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Gulset. It is one of the churches for the Gulset og Skotfoss parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The red brick church was built in a rectangular design in 1986 using plans drawn up by the architect Harald Hille. The church seats about 270 people, but it can be expanded to hold up to 500 people. History Gulset grew up as a suburb to the town of Skien and it was part of Gjerpen municipality until 1964 when it was merged with Skien. Soon after, work began towards getting a church built in Gulset. In 1975, land was acquired by the parish and the planning began for designing the new church by the architects Harald Hille and Reidar Aasen. The plan was to complete the new building around the year 1980. This was delayed, however, and the church construction was postponed. The church was built in two building stages, the first stage was completed and consecrated in 1986 and it included a parish hall, meeting rooms, club rooms, kitchen, cloakrooms, and bathrooms. The construction cost about 4 million kr. Since there was no nave and chancel yet, the parish hall was temporarily used for worship services. The second construction phase was completed in 2009 and it included the nave and chancel, parish offices, and nursery school. The architect for this stage was Reidar Aasen from the firm Børve Borchsenius. Construction costs for this stage totaled about 55 million kr. The building was re-consecrated on 22 March 2009. See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References
Valebø Church

Valebø Church (Norwegian: Valebø kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Valebø. It is one of the churches for the Gjerpen parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1903 using plans drawn up by the architects H. Lie and A. Sigvartsen. The church seats about 150 people. History Historically, the Valebø area was part of the Romnes Church parish, but in 1867, the church was closed after a new, larger Holla Church was opened. The people of Valebø then had a much longer journey to church. The parish opened a cemetery in Valebø soon after this, but it was not until around 1900 when permission was given to build an annex chapel in Valebø. It was designed by H. Lie and built by builder Svend Sigurdsen in 1902–1903. The new building was consecrated on 24 June 1903 (midsummer day). The wooden timber-framed long church with a church porch and bell tower on the west end a chancel in the east that has a half-octagon shaped apse. Around the turn of the 21st century, the church was made into a parish church and it was then renamed Valebø Church (instead of the historic name Valebø Chapel). See also List of churches in Agder og Telemark References