Romsdalsfjord
Encyclopedia
Romsdalsfjord is the ninth longest fjord
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 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 88 kilometres (54.7 mi) long and located in the Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...

 district 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. It flows through the municipalities of Midsund
Midsund
Midsund is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Midsund on Otrøya island. The municipality consists of the islands of Otrøya, Midøya, Dryna, and the smaller Midsund is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal...

, Haram
Haram, Norway
Haram is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative center is Brattvåg, the industrial center of Sunnmøre. Other important villages in the municipality include Austnes, Eidsvik, Helle, Longva, Søvik, Tennfjord, and Vatne.Brattvåg IL is...

, Vestnes
Vestnes
Vestnes is a village and a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, a 35 minute ferry ride from the town of Molde. Vestnes is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestnes...

, Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

, Nesset
Nesset
Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen....

, and Rauma
Rauma, Norway
Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Åndalsnes. Other villages include Vågstranda, Voll, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet...

. The deepest point in the fjord is just southwest of Molde where it is 550 metres (1,804.5 ft) deep.

The western inlet of the fjord
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...

 is generally considered to be between Dryna
Dryna
Dryna is an island in the municipality of Midsund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the westernmost of the main islands in the municipality. The island sits between the Harøyfjord and the Midfjord, at the entrance to the great Romsdalfjord. Until 1965, Dryna was part of Haram.Dryna has a...

 (in Midsund) and Brattvåg
Brattvåg
Brattvåg is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Haram in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located on the Norwegian mainland, along the west side of the Samfjorden. It is northwest of Vatne/Eidsvik...

 (in Haram). A second inlet is to the north, through the strait of Julsund
Julsund
Julsundet is a long strait between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Romsdalsfjord, about 15 minutes west of Molde, Norway. It runs through the municipalities of Fræna, Aukra, Molde, and Midsund, flowing north-south from Bud to Julneset . It is between the Romsdal peninsula and the islands of...

et, bound by Otrøya
Otrøya
Otrøya is the largest island of the municipality of Midsund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island sits at the entrance to the Romsdalsfjord. The highest point is Oppstadhornet at above sea level....

 to the west and Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

 to the east.

The fjord branches off to the minor Tresfjorden
Tresfjorden
Tresfjorden is a fjord in the municipality of Vestnes in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord branches off of the Romsdalsfjord near the village of Vestnes, and it stretches south to the village of Tresfjord....

 and Tomrefjorden
Tomrefjorden
Tomrefjorden is a fjord in the municipality of Vestnes in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord branches off of the Romsdalsfjord just west of the village of Vestnes, and it stretches south past the villages of Fiksdal and Vik to the village of Tomra.-References:...

 to the south, while the main body continues an east-west bound direction. The fjord then forks into three main branches: Moldefjord
Moldefjord
The Moldefjord is a fjord in the municipality of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is a long branch of the Romsdalsfjord, running past the city of Molde in and east-west bound direction from Julsund to the west, north of the Molde archipelago and Bolsøya, and continuing east into the...

 with its continuation Fannefjord
Fannefjord
Fannefjorden is a fjord located in the municipality of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is a long extension of the Moldefjord, running east-west near the south side of the Romsdal peninsula. The fjord begins just east of the city of Molde on the north shore with the island of Bolsøya...

 runs past the city of Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

 north of the Molde Archipelago
Molde archipelago
The Molde Archipelago is a chain of about 50 tree-clad islands and islets, 2 km south the city of Molde, Norway. The archipelago is public, protected land, and a recreational resort...

; Langfjorden, the longer arm of the fjord, with its branches Karlsøyfjord, Rødvenfjorden, and the picturesque Eresfjorden
Eresfjorden
Eresfjorden is a branch off of the Langsfjorden, an arm of the main Romsdalsfjord. The Eresfjorden is located in the municipality of Nesset in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord begins at the mouth of the Eira River near the village of Eresfjord, and then it goes north to meet the...

, in the middle; and finally the southern arm past the town of Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...

, terminating in Isfjorden
Isfjorden (fjord in Møre og Romsdal)
Isfjorden is a branch of the Romsdalsfjord in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord stretches past the town of Åndalsnes and ends at the village of Isfjorden. The Isfjorden was the landing point during the Battle of Kringen in 1612.-References:...

.

From Eastern Norway, you can reach the fjord through the Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...

 valley at Lesja
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....

, down the Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...

 valley to Åndalsnes. This is also the terminus of Raumabanen railway line.

Veøya
Veøya
Veøya is an island in the municipality of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at a junction of the three main branches of the Romsdalsfjord between Sekken and the mainland near the village of Nesjestranda. Veøy consists of one larger and two smaller islands...

—the holy island—was the predecessor of Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

. It is located at a junction between the three main branches of the fjord, and was the foremost medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 trading center between Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...

 and Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

. The Medieval Church of St. Peter, from the late 12th century, is now a museum, but still hosts occasional services.
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