Borgund

Borgund was a medieval trading settlement on the shores of Borgundfjord in Sunnmøre. A good harbour and a position among the western fjords helped make it a centre between Bergen and Nidaros. Merchants carried dried fish away from its wharves and brought grain, textiles and other goods in return. Several stone churches stood at Borgund, serving both the town and travellers along the coast.

In 1384 Borgund was counted among Norway's small towns, and it was also a place of assembly. The settlement declined during the later Middle Ages, however, as trade patterns changed and plague struck the surrounding district. Its churches fell into disrepair, and by the sixteenth century the old trading place was largely abandoned. Stone from St Margaret's Church was reused in 1632 in the choir of the surviving church.