Norway provides subsidy for maintenance of old churches
Old church in the Norwegian municipality of Karasjok. Photo Wikimedia Commons, Robert Reisman
Northern Europe
The Norwegian government provides money for the upkeeping of old church buildings. The subsidy is secured for 20 to 30 years, the Minister of Religion, Kjersti Toppe, has promised.
The Norwegian Finance Minister sees the church buildings in his country as part of the national cultural heritage “which we must take care of for future generations.” Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum points out that the subsidy ensures “predictable funding so that the restoration of the historic churches can be carried out in a good and efficient way,” Vart Land reports.
Priority
The Norwegian government decided to set up a church preservation fund with 10 billion NOK (about 890 million euros) for the restoration of Norwegian churches. In total, 1,000 buildings are eligible for the funds, the State Administrator said during a press conference last week.
Stone churches from the Middle Ages are the first priority of restoration, Minister Toppe told Vart Land last week.
The money will be distributed over the next 20 to 30 years. And because the subsidy is regulated by the national budget, future governments cannot change the regulation. They will have to keep up the grants.
Generations
After the period of 30 years, the funding will not be cut, the government writes in a press release. “This will ensure the future funding of the church preservation fund so that our national churches are guaranteed funds for maintenance for generations to come.”
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