The

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Gustav Adolf Stave Church (german: Gustav-Adolf-Stabkirche) is a

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ar ...

situated in

Hahnenklee Hahnenklee is a borough of the city of Goslar, in the German state of the Lower Saxony. It is located within the Harz mountain range between Goslar and Osterode. The population is about 1200 inhabitants. History Hahnenklee became a state-rec ...

, a borough of

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

in the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

mountains,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Construction of the church began in 1907 and it was consecrated on 28 June 1908. Die Gustaf-Adolf-Stabkirche in Hahnenklee wurde im Jahr 1908 eingeweiht

Die Gustaf-Adolf-Stabkirche in Hahnenklee wurde im Jahr 1908 eingeweiht

The church is a copy of the medieval Borgund Stave Church in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It was erected during the sudden rise in Hahnenklee's popularity as a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He ...

and major tourist destination, with adaptions to fulfil its role as a parish church. The plans were designed by Karl Mohrmann (1857–1927), architect of the

Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover (german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers) is a Lutheran church body ''(Landeskirche)'' in the northern German state of Lower Saxony and the city of Bremerhaven covering the territory of th ...

, a representative of the historicist Hanover school of architecture. He had visited Borgund and held the view that

es once were common in the medieval Saxon areas too. The church was built from spruce trunks harvested at the nearby Bocksberg mountain. The interior comprises numerous carvings of archaic symbols as well as

Viking ship Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, used in Scandinavia from the Viking Age throughout the Middle Ages. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as bein ...

design features. The building soon became a frequently visited landmark and a popular wedding church.

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Goslar (district) Churches completed in 1908 20th-century Lutheran churches Landmarks in Germany Goslar GustavusAdolphusChurch Abbeys and churches in the Harz Replicas of stave churches Goslar GustavusAdolphusChurch