Kongsberg kirke, a large ochre baroque church with a white cupola and clock turret, seen from the square in front of its entrance.
Community / arts space 1 hireable space Classical Christian / gospel

Kongsberg kirke

Norway's largest Baroque church, consecrated in 1761 on Kirketorget in Kongsberg, seating 2,400. Its Gloger organ from 1765 is the largest Baroque organ in the Nordic countries, and the church is the home of the Gloger Festival and the Gloger Academy's concert programme.

Kirketorget 1, 3616 Kongsberg, Norway
Up to 2,400
capacity
1 space
hireable
Concert enquiries and guided tours through Kongsberg kirkekontor on +47 32 86 60 30.
available for hire

About this venue

Kongsberg kirke was built in brick between 1740 and 1761 to drawings by the mining official Joachim Andreas Stukenbrock, and is the largest Baroque church in Norway. Its exterior is plain and heavy, a Greek cross under a tower rising from the roof; inside it is one of the country's richest Rococo interiors, with allegorical sculpture, ceiling paintings by Eric Gustaf Tunmarck after Raphael, the country's most elaborately decorated royal box facing the pulpit, and three crystal chandeliers from the Nøstetangen glassworks — the largest of them three metres tall, with twisted arms in clear, manganese-red and cobalt blue glass. It was the church that introduced the pulpit-altar to Norway. The room seats 2,400, and has held around 3,000 with people standing, which makes it one of the largest indoor spaces in the region. The tower carries a 2.5-tonne main bell and a 24-bell carillon installed for the church's 250th anniversary in 2011. The instrument is the reason many musicians come: the Baroque organ built by Gottfried Heinrich Gloger between 1760 and 1765, 42 stops over three manuals and pedal, restored to its original specification by 2001 and the largest Baroque organ in the Nordic countries. The Gloger Academy runs concerts through the year and the Gloger Festival every year on the last weekend in January. Entry is free during opening hours; services are held most Sundays and holidays at 11:00, with a weekday mass on Wednesdays. Guided tours can be booked through the parish office at Kirketorget 2.

The Spaces

Kirkerommet

Nave

The Baroque nave on a Greek cross plan, with the Gloger organ of 1765, the Nøstetangen chandeliers and the royal box. Used for services and concerts, including the Gloger Festival.

Capacity

Seated
up to 2,400

2,400 seats; up to around 3,000 with standing.

Technical Specification

Music equipment

  • Backline: Gloger Baroque organ (1760-1765), 42 stops over three manuals and pedal, restored to original specification in 2001
  • Acoustics / acoustic treatment: Baroque church acoustics; the room is a regular concert venue for the Gloger Academy and Gloger Festival

Location

Kirketorget 1, 3616 Kongsberg, Norway

Contact Information

+47 32 86 60 30

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