Österviks kapell, on the Varnumsviken inlet a few kilometres from Kristinehamn, was built between 1869 and 1872 at the initiative of Count Rudolf Adlersparre of the nearby Gustavsvik estate. The chapel stands within a landscaped park that also contains the estate's dairy building.
The chapel was designed in medieval-inspired neo-Gothic style, built of red brick and granite, and was completed in 1872. Rather than serving only as a place of worship, the building combined several functions: a chapel hall, a schoolroom for local children upstairs, clergy and teacher housing, and in the basement a school kitchen said to have provided one of the earliest organised school meal services in the country. This mixture of sacred and secular purpose reflects the philanthropic and educational ambitions common among landowners of the late nineteenth century, and the exterior, with its half-timbered sections, exposed granite walling and slate roofing, shows the influence of English Arts and Crafts ideas on Swedish neo-Gothic building.
The wider estate once included a barn, dairy, brewhouse, woodshed and bathhouse, though only the dairy building survives; it suffered a fire (sources differ on whether this was in 1939 or 1968) and has since been restored. It now houses a small museum devoted to the sculptor Eric Rafael-Rådberg, along with items connected to the now-vanished Gustavsvik manor house.
Rafael-Rådberg owned the chapel and dairy from 1922 until his death, using the dairy as his studio and converting the chapel itself into a family home. After his estate was settled, the newly formed Österviks kapellstiftelse (Chapel Foundation), established in the early 1960s, acquired the buildings and undertook restoration, saving them from decline with the help of a national fundraising campaign. The chapel was returned to religious and community use in the later 1960s, though sources give differing years for the re-consecration.
Today the chapel and its surrounding park and garden are protected as a listed heritage site (byggnadsminne). The chapel is not part of the Church of Sweden itself but is maintained by an independent non-profit association, with running costs met through donations, membership fees, event income and support from the Kristinehamn pastorate. The site continues to be used for occasions such as christenings, weddings and concerts, as well as functioning as a small museum of local history and craftsmanship.
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.
Kristinehamns församling
Kristinehamns församling
Österviks kapell, on the Varnumsviken inlet a few kilometres from Kristinehamn, was built between 1869 and 1872 at the initiative of Count Rudolf Adlersparre of the nearby Gustavsvik estate. The chapel stands within a landscaped park that also contains the estate's dairy building.
Östervik 4, 68195, Kristinehamn
Explore this church: Österviks kapellChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Grums kyrkaSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
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: 20 May 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 5cd97c4b-eca7-470e-b1e8-97f3810ba929
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.