St. Olaf’s, Balestrand
Wikipedia says the church inspired the chapel in Elsa’s coronation scene in the 2013 film.
Fjord Tours is more careful: it says the coronation chapel is rumoured to be based on this church.
Walt Disney Animation Studios · 2013 · Norway, as sources word it
Frozen
Arendelle is invented. Art director Michael Giaimo came back from Norway with three things, Wikipedia reports: the fjords, the stave churches that gave the castle compound its rooflines and shingles, and rosemaling. Eight real places stand behind them. None is a filming location.
Sources
Lay the roof
Three tiers, eight places
A stave church is roofed in tiers, each course of shingles lapping the one below. This roof takes Giaimo’s takeaways one tier at a time. Lay a tier to see the real places it is built from, and what the sources say.
Sources
0 of 8 places laid. No tiers laid yet. Start with any of the three.
The careful line
How sure the pages are
The pages do not agree on how firm each link is. Here is the same spread, side by side.
Borgund Stave Church
Giaimo cited medieval stave churches as an inspiration for the castle compound’s rooflines and shingles, Wikipedia reports.
Fjord Tours gives Borgund as an example of a wider stave-church influence rather than a confirmed model.
Sources
Bergen and Bryggen
Fjord Tours calls Bergen the main inspiration behind the kingdom of Arendelle, with some elements taken from other towns.
Wikipedia names Bryggen in Bergen among the Norwegian landmarks behind Arendelle.
Sources
The eaves
Go and see the places
All eight are places you can visit in western Norway, Oslo and Trøndelag. They are design references, not sets: the film was drawn, not shot.
Sources
Where it is now
8 places you can visit in Norway, each tied to what the sources say it lent the film.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
Area reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A fjord on the UNESCO list, seen from the road at Gudvangen, from the water on a ferry or cruise, or from the shore on a walk.
Area reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Walk the wharf and the lanes between the timber buildings at any hour.
Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A church on the Sognefjord shore. Look from the road; check locally for opening times.
Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A medieval timber church in Lærdal, visited in the warmer months; check its opening times.
Nærøyfjord in April 2011. Acediscovery · CC BY 4.0 Western fjords · Nærøyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, between Gudvangen and Aurland
Nærøyfjord
Wikipedia says Arendelle was inspired by Nærøyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A fjord on the UNESCO list, seen from the road at Gudvangen, from the water on a ferry or cruise, or from the shore on a walk.
Sources
The gabled wooden warehouse front of Bryggen, Bergen, April 2011. Acediscovery · CC BY 4.0 Western fjords · Bryggen wharf, Bergen
Bryggen, Bergen
Wikipedia names Bryggen in Bergen among the Norwegian landmarks behind Arendelle.
Walk the wharf and the lanes between the timber buildings at any hour.
Sources
St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand, August 2020. Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0 Western fjords · Kong Beles veg 35, Balestrand
St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand
Wikipedia says the church inspired the chapel in Elsa’s coronation scene in the 2013 film.
A church on the Sognefjord shore. Look from the road; check locally for opening times.
Sources
Borgund stave church, Lærdal, August 2022. Tulipasylvestris · CC BY-SA 4.0 Western fjords · Borgund, Lærdal
Borgund Stave Church
Giaimo cited medieval stave churches as an inspiration for the castle compound’s rooflines and shingles, Wikipedia reports.
A medieval timber church in Lærdal, visited in the warmer months; check its opening times.
Sources
Kviknes Hotel
Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand
Balestrand, Sognefjord
A hotel on the Sognefjord in Balestrand, open from 1 April to 31 October and welcoming guests since 1877. Pictured: St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand, 2020.
Check rooms
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Nærøyfjord cruises
Nærøyfjord
Live marketplace results for cruises on the Nærøyfjord. Check each route, start town and season.
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A room on the Sognefjord.
A hotel in Balestrand, the village with the church.
Kviknes Hotel
Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand
Balestrand, Sognefjord
A hotel on the Sognefjord in Balestrand, open from 1 April to 31 October and welcoming guests since 1877. Pictured: St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand, 2020.
Check roomsGo there
See the fjord and the wharf.
Marketplace searches for Nærøyfjord, Bergen and Oslo; check each route.
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Nærøyfjord cruises
Nærøyfjord
Live marketplace results for cruises on the Nærøyfjord. Check each route, start town and season.
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Bergen and Bryggen walking tours
Bergen
Live marketplace results for walks of Bergen that pass the Bryggen wharf. Check each route.
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Oslo walking tours
Oslo
Live marketplace results for walks of central Oslo. Check which pass Akershus Fortress.
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Nothing dated for the film is listed at these places now.
No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.
Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
The archive
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
8 of 8 places · 8 of 8 stories
Nærøyfjord
Nærøyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, between Gudvangen and Aurland
The fjord setting
Giaimo names the fjords and their vertical rock as the setting for Arendelle.
Bryggen, Bergen
Bryggen wharf, Bergen
The wharf
Wikipedia lists Bryggen among the Norwegian landmarks behind Arendelle.
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress, Oslo harbour
The fortress
Fjord Tours links the castle where Elsa and Anna grow up to Akershus Fortress.
Norsk Folkemuseum
Norsk Folkemuseum, Bygdøy, Oslo
The garments
Fjord Tours says the museum inspired the traditional garments the characters wear.
St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand
Kong Beles veg 35, Balestrand
The coronation chapel
Wikipedia says the church inspired the chapel in Elsa’s coronation scene.
Borgund Stave Church
Borgund, Lærdal
Rooflines and shingles
Giaimo cites medieval stave churches as the inspiration for the castle compound’s rooflines and shingles.
Stiftsgården, Trondheim
Munkegata, Trondheim
The castle interior
Fjord Tours says the royal residence influenced the castle’s interior.
Røros
Røros town, Trøndelag
The reindeer visit
Disney’s team visits Rørosrein, a Sámi family-owned reindeer company in Plassja, Røros.