Karlskoga kyrka

In 1586 Duke Karl gave the local population permission to form their own parish, appointing Olaus Johannis Gestricius, known as "herr Olof", as vicar. He supplied timber from his own forest and urged the community to build a church beside Lake Möckeln. Known as the Hertigkyrkan, or Duke's Church, this small timbered building stood completed by the early 17th century, without pews, so that worshippers had to stand throughout services.

The church was extended westward several times during the 17th century. In 1682 the original Hertigkyrkan building was converted into a sacristy, and a new chancel was built, receiving in 1686 the Baroque altarpiece still used today. That year the old free-standing bell tower was also replaced by the current tower and spire. Further transepts added in 1705–1706 gave the church its present cross-shaped plan.

The building has been altered and redecorated many times since, including a period in the late 18th century when it was painted white, a common fashion of the time, before later being returned to its familiar red. It has undergone several renovations, including one in 1858 and a more recent one in 2015–2016. The church can seat several hundred people. Its wooden wall shingles are noticeably irregular in shape, a result of having been supplied and individually cut by different farms in the surrounding district.pump.

Inside, the chancel ceiling retains painted decoration uncovered from the 1720s, and painted chancel windows depict King Karl IX and Martin Luther. The pulpit, carved in Gustavian style with symbols of the faith on its basket, dates from the late 18th century and was a gift from the Camitz family. The font was donated in 1791, and a memorial tablet was given by Gerhard Ysing in 1726. A further curiosity is a floor clock donated by Kristina Lovisa von Hofsten, known locally as "Stornåda".

The most remarkable survival, however, is the sacristy, the original Hertigkyrkan structure from the late 1500s. Its walls and ceiling are richly painted, reputedly by one of Duke Karl's own court painters, with scenes from the Passion of Christ based on Dutch engravings: the Crucifixion, the betrayal, the burial and the Resurrection appear alongside images of the apostles on the long walls. The later western wall, added afterwards, was left unpainted.

The church's organs have been rebuilt more than once, most recently in 1986, and a separate chancel organ dates from 1983; enthusiasts of church organs may find the technical specifications of interest, though most visitors will simply note the elegant Neoclassical organ case from the 1850s, painted with marbling and gilded ornament.