Once upon a time, there was a bat in Urnes Stave Church

In 2017, bat droppings were found in Urnes Stave Church in Luster in the Sogn region. Investigations showed that the droppings were probably from a bat of the species brown long-eared bat.

This discovery caused quite a stir. Experts came to find out what had happened. Newspapers wrote articles about it. Where was the bat, and what had it done?

It turned out that the bat had peed on a post inside the church. Scientists are investigating whether this may have harmed the wood in the valuable church, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Based on this case, the National Trust of Norway has created the children’s mascot Fortimus and the story ‘The Urnes Lion and the bat with protection superpowers’. The old Urnes Lion comes to life and gives the bat an important mission. A little ‘Viking bee’ becomes a good helper.

This is a story about taking care of cultural heritage sites and the landscape they are part of.

What can you do when a protected bat damages a protected and irreplaceable cultural monument?

Draw the Urnes lion!

I’m the Urnes lion. Have you heard about my good helper, Fortimus the bat?

Join the dots.

Do you think the lion has colours?

The Urnes Lion is the logo of the National Trust of Norway. It is carved on a post inside Urnes Stave Church.