Stabkirche Stiege

In the heart of the Harz mountains, in the small village of Stiege near the town of Hasselfelde, you can admire a unique sacred building: A small church of exceptional design and size - the Stave Church in Stiege. Once built as the chapel of the Albrechtshaus lung sanatorium, the listed building quickly attracts the attention of hikers, tourists and photographers with its striking architecture and construction.

Surprising architecture

The wooden church was erected in 1905 by the Witte company from Osterwieck in the style of the Norwegian building, and thanks to its special construction technique it can largely do without screws or nails. In addition, the 110-seat main room is reminiscent of the interior of a ship's hull (not least due to the special leaded glass windows by the Müller glass painting company from nearby Quedlinburg), which skilfully picks up on the Norwegian architectural style.

The multi-part and nine-metre high gable roof was originally covered with wooden shingles, which were later replaced by tiles. The pointed bell tower completes the building and was once lined with stylistic dragon heads on the ridges of the roof: these were supposed to ward off evil and protect the faithful and visitors in the "bosom of the dragon". In the church's more recent history, the dragon sculptures have been replaced by plainer versions that also blend harmoniously into the overall picture.

Time as a "Lost Place

The pulmonary sanatorium to which the church belonged was closed in 1993 after its almost one hundred-year history as a place of convalescence for tuberculosis patients, a sanatorium and a rehabilitation clinic, and has stood empty ever since. As a "lost place" in the middle of the forest, the buildings repeatedly attracted adventurers and unfortunately also vandals, who took a toll on the substance of the stave church: the building was broken into several times and most of the leaded glass windows were destroyed, which led to the closure of the church in 2011.

Moving into a second life

Three years later, the Stiege Stave Church Association (Stabkirche Stiege e.V.) was founded, which campaigned to dismantle the wooden church at the site of the lung clinic in order to protect it from further decay and destruction and to rebuild it near Stiege railway station, which lies directly on the Harz narrow-gauge railway. In autumn 2020, preparations finally began at the new site directly opposite Europe's smallest turning loop on the Selketal railway; at the church itself, the dismantling of the bell tower began. Piece by piece, the wooden planks and girders were dismantled and expertly restored; in addition, the old wooden shingle roof was replaced by a tile roofing, which, however, did not detract from the preservation of the listed building. On the contrary: Stiege Stave Church today bears the title of "nationally valuable cultural monument".

Experience Stiege Stave Church for yourself

You can travel individually and comfortably by car or motorbike via the main road 242 and use your stay for a culinary refreshment and an entertaining stroll through tranquil Stiege. Free parking is available directly opposite the stave church.

You can reach the extraordinary sacred building in a relaxed and typical Harz way with the steam-powered Selketalbahn, which runs up to ten times a day from Quedlinburg in the direction of Eisfelder Talmühle. While you let the smell of coal waft around your nose on the historic train, your eyes can wander over the landscape and you can enjoy the view of the Brocken and the Wurmberg.

If you want to get even closer to nature, there is a 15 km circular walk from Hasselfelde or Stiege. Look forward to the fresh air of the Harz and the rich scent of forests and meadows. There are great panoramas to admire on the easy paths of this medium-difficulty hike and as a special souvenir you can pick up the stamp for the Harzer Wandernadel.

The Stave Church is open Wednesdays from 10 am to 12 pm and Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm and is a great addition to your photo album at any time of year.

Stiege Stave Church - facts and figures

• Length: 23 m
• Width: 11 m
• Height: 9 m (without bell tower)
• Seating capacity: 110
• Year of construction: 1905
• Relocation: 2020-2022