St. Olaf's Church, often called the English Church, is one of Balestrand's most memorable buildings. It was built in 1897 as an Anglican church, using the look of a Norwegian stave church for a community of English-speaking summer visitors.
The story behind it is personal: Margaret Green Kvikne, an Englishwoman who married into the local Kvikne family, wanted an Anglican church here before she died of tuberculosis. Her husband helped make it happen as a memorial.