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Norrstrandskyrkan

Address
Drottning Kristinas väg 7, 654 63, Karlstad
Municipality
Karlstads Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Karlstad

Norrstrandskyrkan, in the Sundsta district of Karlstad, was built in 1959 to designs attributed to the architect Sten Gumaelius (recorded in some sources as Sten Hummel-Gumælius). It serves Norrstrand parish within the Diocese of Karlstad.



The church forms part of a wider timber-built complex grouped around an open, light-filled courtyard, housing various parish functions alongside the church hall. A separate bell tower stands near the entrance, and the main worship space has a church porch set apart to the west.

Externally, the architect combined something of the upward lift of a medieval church with the restrained, simplified forms typical of Swedish church design in the 1950s. The walls are clad in wood shingles beneath a saddle roof, and inside, the hall-shaped nave rises to a steeply pitched ceiling with exposed laminated timber roof trusses. The chancel is marked only by a slightly raised floor rather than any structural division, and the walls and ceiling throughout are timber-panelled.

A notable feature is the glass mosaic window in the chancel by the artist Jan Brazda, depicting heavenly light breaking into human darkness and revealed through Christ's crown of thorns. Beneath it hangs a crucifix by the German sculptor Herman Sutor.

Other furnishings include a free-standing altar table of Bohus granite and a font of Gotland marble, both said to follow the architect's own designs. A votive ship is suspended before the organ loft, a traditional feature in many Swedish churches, while the church's textiles were created by the artist Anna-Lisa Odelqvist-Cruse. A wrought-iron work by Herman Reyers hangs on the south wall.

The church has had a succession of organs: an instrument built in 1959 by Starup og Søn of Copenhagen, rebuilt in 1967, followed by a new organ from the Danish firm Krohns in 1986 incorporating much older pipework, and most recently a further instrument built in 2021 by Tostareds Kyrkorgelfabrik, which reuses the 1959 organ case as its façade.

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.

Norrstrands församling

Norrstrandskyrkan

Norrstrandskyrkan, in the Sundsta district of Karlstad, was built in 1959 to designs attributed to the architect Sten Gumaelius (recorded in some sources as Sten Hummel-Gumælius). It serves Norrstrand parish within the Diocese of Karlstad.

Drottning Kristinas väg 7, 654 63, Karlstad

Explore this church: Norrstrandskyrkan

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

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Basic listing

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Säffle kyrka is the town church of Säffle, built to designs by architect Gunnar Bornö and inaugurated in May 1965. It forms part of a larger complex with parish buildings and a freestanding bell tower.

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View church details: Säffle kyrka
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Järns kyrka is a medieval parish church near Mellerud in Dalsland, best known for its distinctive free-standing bell tower, entirely clad in slate. Standing in open, flat farmland, the stone church dates largely from the…

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View church details: Järns kyrka
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Köla kyrka

Köla kyrka, in Värmland near the Norwegian border, was built in the early 18th century, replacing an older wooden church thought to be of medieval origin. This guide draws on local heritage records and Wikipedia…

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View church details: Köla 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: 16 Jun 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 6a9421a2-e524-4a31-a901-9cac068a4f45

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.

Suggest a correction

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

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