Kirkenær: Station History, Architecture and Routes

Kirkenær combines the history of a railway town with walks, cycling routes and seasonal ski trails. The townscape features Swiss-style architecture and the railway station as elements of local history. Vognløypa is a circular route close to the town centre; in winter, ski trails are added when snow conditions allow them to be groomed.

Circular Routes and Seasonal Ski Trails

Vognløypa is a circular route about five kilometres long, close to the town centre, and suitable for walks with a pushchair or bike rides. You can join the route at several points. If you start at Grue Church, parking is available there. This gives you several possible starting points, as well as one clearly specified starting point with parking for orientation.

When snow conditions are suitable, ski trails are groomed on the floodlit trail at Vollermoen near Kirkenær. Grue IL also grooms trails in the fields near Kirkenær. When planning your trip, bear in mind that these options depend on snow conditions. Another winter attraction in the wider destination of Grue is the network of ski trails maintained by Grue IL at Bergersætra, about a ten-minute drive east of Kirkenær.

Railway Town and Building History

Kirkenær was built in the Swiss style, which remains the town’s most distinctive architectural feature. The railway station is a central part of the railway town. The buildings help preserve the townscape, identity and history of Kirkenær as a railway town and timber-trading centre. The architecture and railway station thus offer two specific points of reference for the town’s history.

Gruetunet lies just east of the centre. The museum mainly showcases buildings and culture from the Solør and Glomma valleys. The site has 25 buildings, divided into the main farm, farmstead and settlements; the oldest date from around 1750. To arrange a guided tour, contact the museum to book a time.

Nygård, a building constructed in the svalgang style, is part of Gruetunet. Riksantikvaren listed it as a protected monument in 1924. This individual building adds to the picture of Gruetunet as an ensemble of different buildings and groups.

Grue Church stands at Vollermoen on the southern edge of the centre. It was built in 1828 and designed by H.W.F. von Linstow; his student Ole Peter Riis Høegh adapted and revised the drawings. An important part of its history is the altarpiece painted by Christen Brun in 1875. In January 2025, it was moved from the narthex into the church. The church’s history therefore includes both its construction and a more recent change to its furnishings.

Grue in the Wider Context

Grue is part of Finnskogen and borders Sweden. Since 1970, the Finnskogdagene festival has been held in July in Svullrya, in Grue Finnskog. Every year, the open-air play “Spillet om innvandrerne” is performed during the festival. These cultural connections add themes from the wider destination of Grue to the local picture of Kirkenær.

Discover more destinations: Skasenden, Grue Finnskog.

Go to the wider travel overview: Grue.