Skarnes: Discover Culture, Railways and Leisure

Skarnes is a travel destination where its railway connections, local history and leisure activities offer different reasons to stay. Skarnes Station is on the Kongsvinger Line; trains run from there towards Oslo S, Asker and Kongsvinger. If you plan to travel by train, check the connection for your travel date and take it into account when making your choice.

Getting there and local history

The history of the bridges also provides a specific point of reference: the old Skarnes Bridge has been used as a pedestrian and cycle bridge since 1976, after the new Skarnes Bridge opened. In the centre of Skarnes, there is an overview of blue information signs and other historical information boards. The bridge history and the historical boards can thus be considered two distinct topics for orientation in Skarnes.

Art and historic buildings

The Kåre Tveter Gallery Lyshuset in Skarnes has a collection of 128 works in various techniques, donated by Tveter himself. Outside the summer season, Gallery Lyshuset can be visited by prior arrangement.

The buildings also tell of the town’s different functions. Pakkhuset, also known as Skarnes Godshus, is located next to Skarnes Station. It was built in 1865 with a connecting track and a length of two railway wagons. Trekanten was built around 1900; the building served, among other things, as a watchmaker’s workshop, bakery and cultural centre. In 2012, Trekanten opened as possibly Norway’s smallest cultural centre. The two buildings can therefore be distinguished by their railway connections and changing uses.

Leisure activities in Skarnes

Leisure activities include the Sør-Odal swimming pool in Skarnes, with a 25-metre-long pool, and Glommasvingen skate park. The skate park is open to everyone and can be used for skateboarding, kick scooters, roller skating and other wheeled activities. This makes it possible to distinguish between two different interests when planning: swimming or wheeled activities.

More topics in the wider destination of Sør-Odal

The wider destination of Sør-Odal offers additional landscape and outdoor activities. There are opportunities for hiking in the forests, along the Glomma and by the lakes, as well as for boating on Storsjøen. The regional offering also includes the Speismark–Galterud–Finholt–Sander cross-country skiing network. Odalstunet in Skarnes is an open-air museum with a farm and a crofter’s cottage. The buildings were open on Sundays in July as part of the summer season; check the dates before your trip.

The church architecture in the wider destination of Sør-Odal also offers a specific comparison. Oppstad Church in Sør-Odal is a wooden church built in 1728, with a cruciform floor plan and 200 seats. It is automatically listed as a protected structure for the period 1650–1850. Ullern Church in Sør-Odal was built in 1868 as a masonry church; it has a longitudinal floor plan, 250 seats and the protection status of a listed protected structure. The churches thus differ in their year of construction, material, floor plan and number of seats.

For an overview of the wider destination: Sør-Odal.