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Vitsands kyrka

Address
685 94, Torsby
Municipality
Torsby Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Karlstad

Vitsands kyrka stands beside the lake Övre Brocken, on the road between Torsby and Nyskoga in Värmland. Built in the early 1820s, it replaced an older place of worship and remains the parish church of Vitsands församling within the Diocese of Karlstad.



Local tradition holds that the present building had a predecessor a few kilometres to the south: a medieval timber church or pilgrim chapel, said to have still shown visible remains as late as the 1700s. This earlier building's exact history is uncertain, and no firm details survive beyond this tradition.

The current church was constructed in 1822–1823 as a cruciform building in a restrained classicising style, built of timber with a straight-ended chancel to the east and transepts extending north and south. A tower with a lantern and dome rises at the western end. The exterior is clad in white-painted panelling, and the cross-shaped roof is covered in slate.

Among the furnishings, the oldest is a Renaissance-style oak pulpit with an octagonal body, dated 1669, said to have been a gift from Fryksände church. An octagonal wooden font from the 1920s stands in the southern part of the chancel. The altarpiece dates from 1937 and depicts Christ preaching, painted by Olle Hjortzberg.

The organ case, dating from 1859 and decorated in green with gilded ornament, was retained when a new pneumatic organ was built behind it in 1937 by Nordfors & Co of Lidköping, replacing an earlier instrument by E A Setterquist.

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Contact & official information

Fryksände pastorat

Fryksände pastorat

Vitsands kyrka

Vitsands kyrka stands beside the lake Övre Brocken, on the road between Torsby and Nyskoga in Värmland. Built in the early 1820s, it replaced an older place of worship and remains the parish church of Vitsands församling within the Diocese of Karlstad.

685 94, Torsby

Explore this church: Vitsands kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

Other churches in the same diocese

Basic listing

Övre Ulleruds kyrka

Övre Ulleruds kyrka, in Värmland between Ransäter and Deje, was built between 1725 and 1727 on the site of earlier medieval churches beside the Klarälven river. A thorough restoration in 1867 gave the building its…

Skivedsleden 15

View church details: Övre Ulleruds kyrka

Sources & credits

Provider catalogue data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser, CC BY 4.0. Separately credited descriptions retain their stated source and licence terms. Catalogue and visiting data reformatted from the provider. The English guide combines and abridges separately credited sources below.

Provider record updated: 13 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 7b1092aa-29aa-4a02-a436-7e5ab60904b6

Guide sources

This English guide combines, abridges and translates the sources below with AI assistance, with editorial contributions by Churches in Sweden. It has not been independently verified. The adapted guide text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographs and map data have their own terms.

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Church data retrieved 24 Sep 2026. Visiting details have not been independently verified.

Sources, licences & reuse

Independent guide

Churches in Sweden is an independent guide. It is not an official Svenska kyrkan website and does not imply sponsorship or endorsement.

Church information

Source: Svenska kyrkan — Platser, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. English adaptations by Churches in Sweden are identified on each profile. Our adaptations solely from Platser are offered under CC BY 4.0. Guides combining Wikipedia with other compatible sources are identified individually and offered under CC BY-SA 4.0; this covers that guide text, not the whole website. Separately credited third-party material retains its stated terms. Independently written descriptions are identified on their profiles. Imported material has not been independently verified. Original names and visiting details are retained; presentation is reformatted. Each profile identifies its source record and any additional supplied credits.

You may reuse the licensed church material under CC BY 4.0, including commercially, with the required attribution, licence link and indication of changes. No additional site restriction overrides those rights. The licence does not automatically cover separately credited images or map data.

Provider disclaimer

Svenska kyrkan supplies Platser data without guaranteeing that it is correct, current, complete across its organisation, or always available. The material is provided as-is and as-available, subject to the licence’s disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability.

Svenska kyrkan kan ej garantera att den data som finns i Platser:
– är korrekt.
– är aktuell.
– är komplett för hela Svenska kyrkans organisation.
– alltid är tillgänglig.

Preserved provider agreement · Full licence

Automatic diocese associations use the organisation codes from Svenska kyrkan UnitAPI. An association does not establish ownership or denomination. External editorial sources are credited separately.

Map and photographs

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL and © OpenMapTiles. Tiles and style are served by World Class Maps. Map rendering uses MapLibre GL JS. The map’s own attribution remains visible.

Photographs are credited individually with their own licence or permission. The API data licence does not automatically cover photographs. No images are imported automatically.