'The Geirangerfjord' (''Geirangerfjorden'') is a
fjord in the
Sunnmøre region, located in the southernmost part of the county
Møre og Romsdal in
Norway. It is a 15km long branch of
Storfjord. Innermost in the fjord lies the small village
Geiranger.
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 lines across the fjord.
[1]
The Geirangerfjord is under constant threat from the mountain
Ã…kerneset which is about to erode into the
fjord. This will cause a
tsunami hitting several nearby towns including
Geiranger and
Hellesylt in about ten minutes.
[2][3][4]
Along the fjordsides there a number of now abandoned farms. Some restoration has been made by the association 'Storfjordens venner' (see external link below). 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.
A sight-seeing boat-trip is operated by Fjord1, between the towns of
Geiranger and
Hellesylt.
Waterfalls
The two most notable waterfalls in the Geirangefjord are the Seven Sisters and the Suitor (also called 'the Wooer'). The two falls face one another across the fjord, and the Suitor is said to be trying to woo the sisters opposite.
The Bride's 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.
Gallery
External links
★
Geiranger Tourist-Info
★
Destinasjon Geirangerfjord - Trollstigen
★
Webcam
★
Storfjordens venner
References
1. Geirangerfjorden kan miste verdensarvstatus, Bergens Tidende, July 6, 2007, retrieved July 7, 2007
2. Gigantras truer vestlandsbygder, Aftenposten, Nov 14 2004, retrieved July 7, 2007
3. Økt fare for fjellskred i Åkersneset, forskning.no, Apr 22, 2004, retrieved July 7, 2007
4. High Resolution Digital Elevation Model Analysis for Landslide Hazard Assessment (Ã…kerneset, Norway)