Fjelberg: Vicarage, Church and Island Trails

Fjelberg combines a historic ensemble with trails on Fjelbergøya. Three questions are especially helpful when planning your trip: Are you interested in the church and vicarage, would you like to learn more about the trails described here, or is getting there by ferry your first priority?

Church and vicarage: history on Fjelbergøya

Fjelberg Church is a wooden church built in 1722. Together with the old vicarage, it forms a cohesive historic ensemble on Fjelbergøya. Fjelberg Prestegard is a protected historic vicarage complex. The main building contains three historic rooms dedicated to three vicars who lived there for many years.

The vicarage is also home to a recurring tradition: since 1958, Norsk Misjonsallianse has held its national celebration there on the second day of Pentecost each year. The church also houses a painted depiction of the Last Supper, a copy after the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). The original, his “Last Supper,” is now in the Pinacoteca di Brera museum in Milan, Italy. For art lovers, the painting connects a visit to the church with a named work of Flemish Baroque art.

A stave church probably stood in Fjelberg, built in the 13th century. This early building history should be understood as a probable interpretation. Taken together, the 1722 wooden church, the vicarage complex and the possible earlier stave church represent different periods in the area's history.

Trails, views and landscape

A marked trail on Fjelbergøya leads to Påskeåsen. A forest path runs east via the Jespersen farm to viewpoints overlooking Ølen and Sydnes. The routes have different destinations: one leads to Påskeåsen, while the other also specifies a direction and named viewpoints. Check local conditions before hiking.

Geology can also be part of your experience of the landscape. Fjelbergøya has rocks from the Precambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. A walk can offer an interesting geological experience, particularly in connection with the history of the area's rocks and soils. There is also a protected strait between Fjelbergøya and Borgundøya.

Getting to Fjelbergøya

Car ferries to Fjelbergøya depart from Utbjoa or Sydnes. Express boats connect Bergen with Fjelbergøya via Austevoll, Bømlo and Stord. For planning, this means considering different modes of transport and departure points: the car ferry from Utbjoa or Sydnes, and the express boat service from Bergen via several stops. Check current departures and tickets separately before travelling.

Cultural attractions in the wider destination of Kvinnherad

The wider destination of Kvinnherad also offers cultural attractions and hiking opportunities. Kvinnherad Turlag compiles current and updated hiking suggestions for the whole of Kvinnherad. As individual routes may change, check the information for the hike you choose.

Baroniet Rosendal is Norway's only barony and Scandinavia's smallest castle. It includes a castle dating from 1665 and a garden with 300 years of history. Halsnøy Kloster is a historic complex whose history dates back to 1163. Guided tours, exhibitions, lectures and concerts take place there throughout the year. The complex includes, among other things, 14th-century monastery ruins, a residence dating from 1841 and gardens. These examples add two distinct cultural profiles to the picture of Kvinnherad: the barony with its castle and garden, and the historic monastery complex with its visitor programme.

Discover more destinations: Valen, Herøysund, Holmedal, Åkra, Dimmelsvik, Hatlestrand, Sandvoll, Utåker.

See the full travel guide: Kvinnherad.