Stiklestad National Cultural Center
Stiklestad nasjonale kultursenter
The battlefield where King Olav II fell in 1030, a symbol of Norway's Christianisation, with a large open-air play every summer.
Stiklestad lies in Verdal, about 90 kilometres northeast of Trondheim by road. King Olav II (St Olav) fell here in 1030 and was later made a saint, so the place is regarded as the birthplace of the Norwegian nation and of Christianity in Norway. Today it is a national cultural centre, with a 12th-century stone church, an open-air folk museum and a Viking Age exhibition hall. At the end of July each year, during St Olav's Festival, the largest open-air historical play in Norway, The Saga of St Olav, is performed; advance booking is required. By train it takes about 1.5 hours to Verdal, then a connecting bus or taxi.
Opening hours
Summer approx. 10:00–17:00; shorter in winter
Nearby sights
- Hell Station
- Ringve Music Museum & Botanical Garden
- Tyholt Tower
- Solsiden & Nedre Elvehavn
- Kristiansten Fortress
- Trampe Bicycle Lift
- Rockheim
- Kjøpmannsgata Wharves