Geirangerfjord
Encyclopedia
The Geiranger Fjord is a fjord
in the Sunnmøre
region of Møre og Romsdal
county in Norway
. It is in the municipality of Stranda
. It is a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long branch of the Storfjord
(Great Fjord). The small village of Geiranger
is located at the end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it.
The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
, jointly with Nærøyfjord
, since 2005, although this status is now threatened by the disputed plans to build power line
s across the fjord. A car ferry, which doubles as a sightseeing trip, is operated by Fjord1 Nordvestlandske
. It runs lengthwise along the fjord between the small towns of Geiranger
and Hellesylt
.
Along the fjord's sides there lie a number of now abandoned farms. Some restoration has been made by the Storfjordens venner association. The most commonly visited among these are Skageflå
, Knivsflå
, and Blomberg. Skageflå may also be reached on foot from Geiranger, while the others require a boat excursion. The fjord is also host to several impressive waterfalls.
Magdalene Thoresen, Henrik Ibsen
's mother-in-law, said of the area:
and the Suitor (also called The Friar). The two falls face one another across the fjord, and the Suitor is said to be trying to woo the sisters opposite.
The Bridal Veil is another waterfall in the fjord, so named because it falls delicately over one rocky edge, and when seen backlit by the sun it has the appearance of a thin veil over the rocks.
. A collapse would produce a tsunami
, hitting several nearby towns including Geiranger
and Hellesylt
in about ten minutes.
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
in the Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
region of Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is in the municipality of Stranda
Stranda
Stranda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stranda....
. It is a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long branch of the Storfjord
Storfjord (fjord)
The Storfjord is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, stretching from Hareid in the west to Tafjord and Geiranger east in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Storfjord system includes the famous Geirangerfjord and Tafjorden, at small village of Stranda it branches off into...
(Great Fjord). The small village of Geiranger
Geiranger
Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway. It lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord. The nearest city is Ålesund...
is located at the end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it.
The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, jointly with Nærøyfjord
Nærøyfjord
The Nærøyfjord is a fjord in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. The narrow fjord is a branch of the large Sognefjord, and it is featured on the "Norway in a Nutshell" daytrips for tourists...
, since 2005, although this status is now threatened by the disputed plans to build power line
Power Line
Power Line is an American political blog, providing news and commentary from a conservative point-of-view. It was originally written by three lawyers who attended Dartmouth College together: John H. Hinderaker, Scott W. Johnson, and Paul Mirengoff...
s across the fjord. A car ferry, which doubles as a sightseeing trip, is operated by Fjord1 Nordvestlandske
Fjord1 Nordvestlandske
Fjord1 Nordvestlandske is a Norwegian transport conglomerate, formed in 2001 by the merger of Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. The company itself is a holding company for its numerous subsidiaries. Company headquarters are located in Florø; however, the headquarters...
. It runs lengthwise along the fjord between the small towns of Geiranger
Geiranger
Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway. It lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord. The nearest city is Ålesund...
and Hellesylt
Hellesylt
Hellesylt is a small village in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord, and which the more famous Geirangerfjord in turn branches off nearby...
.
Along the fjord's sides there lie a number of now abandoned farms. Some restoration has been made by the Storfjordens venner association. The most commonly visited among these are Skageflå
Skageflå
Skageflå is one of a handful of farms on the slopes of the Geirangerfjord in Stranda, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Skageflå lies approximately above the fjord. The farm is a 2 to 4 hour walk from Geiranger, and can also be reached with help of a local sightseeing boat...
, Knivsflå
Knivsflå
Knivsflå is one of a handful of farms along the sides of Geirangerfjord in Stranda, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Actually it was two farms sharing the location, and they have been inhabited since at least the 1600s. There is also a mountain pasture situated some above the fjord. It is...
, and Blomberg. Skageflå may also be reached on foot from Geiranger, while the others require a boat excursion. The fjord is also host to several impressive waterfalls.
Magdalene Thoresen, Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
's mother-in-law, said of the area:
This fjord is surrounded by the steepest and, one is almost tempted to say, the most preposterous mountains on the entire west coast. It is very narrow and has no habitable shore area, for the precipitous heights rise in sheer and rugged strata almost straight out of the water. Foaming waterfalls plunge into the fjord from jagged peaks. There are, however, a few mountain farms here, and of these one or two have such hazardous access, by paths that wind around steep precipices, and by bridges that are fixed to the mountain with iron bolts and rings, that they bear witness in a most striking way to the remarkable powers of invention which the challenges of nature have developed in man.
Waterfalls
The two most notable waterfalls in the Geirangerfjord are the Seven SistersSeven Sisters Waterfall, Norway
The Seven Sisters is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams, and it is located along the Geirangerfjord in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The waterfall is located just south of the historic Knivsflå farm, across the...
and the Suitor (also called The Friar). The two falls face one another across the fjord, and the Suitor is said to be trying to woo the sisters opposite.
The Bridal Veil is another waterfall in the fjord, so named because it falls delicately over one rocky edge, and when seen backlit by the sun it has the appearance of a thin veil over the rocks.
Rock slides
The Geirangerfjord is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset which is about to erode into the fjordFjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. A collapse would produce a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
, hitting several nearby towns including Geiranger
Geiranger
Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway. It lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord. The nearest city is Ålesund...
and Hellesylt
Hellesylt
Hellesylt is a small village in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord, and which the more famous Geirangerfjord in turn branches off nearby...
in about ten minutes.