Discover Østby: Church, Trails and Arena

Østby brings together church architecture and literary memorial sites with marked trails and activities at Østby Arena. If you are looking for hotels in Østby, you can decide whether church art, trail options or activities at the arena are the main focus of your trip. Getting your bearings locally is also straightforward: the Grøna flows past Østby, while National Road 25 runs through the village.

Church and literary memorial sites

Østby Church is a small long church. It was built in 1940 to a design by the State Building Inspectorate; a roof turret sits above the west gable. The term “long church” refers to a church building laid out lengthwise and gives a brief description of its architectural form.

The altarpiece was painted by Finn Krafft in 1949. It depicts the Ascension, with Christ standing in a mandorla—a mandorla is an almond-shaped halo that frames the figure shown. This makes it possible to distinguish the church’s construction history from the later creation of the altarpiece.

A memorial stone at Østby Church commemorates the writers Einar Skjæraasen, Halvor Floden and Ole Haugen-Flermoe. Einar Skjæraasen’s Kvilsten is signposted to the west in Østby and is known by the title of the poem of the same name. The two references are distinct: the memorial stone commemorates three writers, while Kvilsten is associated with a poem by Skjæraasen.

Trails and activities at Østby Arena

Østby has blue-marked hiking trails with fitness boxes, which are part of the “Ti på tur Østby” programme. In addition, the summer cross-country ski trail at Østby Arena is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The trail options therefore differ in character: marked hiking trails with fitness boxes are offered alongside a summer ski trail that is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers.

There is also a summer cycling track for children at Østby Arena. Stolpejakten is organised in Østby in cooperation with Trysil Municipality. The local offering therefore includes both marked trails and activities for children, as well as an organised activity involving municipal cooperation.

Right next to Østby Arena, there is an ice rink and a toboggan run beside the lit ski trail. The Trysil Ski Marathon offers a different route: it runs from Østby to Ryskdalen and back. The local sports options thus differ both in activity and in format—from facilities at the arena to a route between two places.

Finding your way around Østby

The Grøna flows past Østby. National Road 25 runs through the village and leads from Elverum via Nybergsund and Østby onwards to Sweden. The river and the road provide two different geographical points of reference for Østby: one connected to the landscape and the other to a regional route.

The church building, altarpiece and literary memorial sites offer a cultural focus; the trails and Østby Arena provide other options. The specific differences between the summer activities, the facilities beside the lit ski trail and the route of the Trysil Ski Marathon can help you choose the focus of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Plassen, Søre Osen, Slettås, Nybergsund, Jordet, Sjøenden, Trysil, Ljørdalen

Go to the main travel overview: Trysil.