Eidfjord is the

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

Eidfjord Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal populatio ...

municipality in

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The village is located on the shore of the

Eid Fjord The Eid Fjord ( no, Eidfjorden) is the innermost part of the Hardanger Fjord in Norway. It extends eastwards from the Utne Fjord and Sørfjorden. The Eid Fjord lies in the municipalities of Ullensvang, Ulvik, and Eidfjord in Vestland county. ...

, an inner branch of the large

Hardangerfjorden The Hardangerfjord ( en, Hardanger Fjord) is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountain ...

. The village sits about east of the

Hardanger Bridge The Hardanger Bridge ( no, Hardangerbrua) is a suspension bridge across the Eidfjorden branch off of the main Hardangerfjorden in Vestland county, Norway. The bridge connects the municipalities of Ullensvang and Ulvik. It replaced a ferry con ...

along the

Norwegian National Road 7 Norwegian National Road 7 ( no, Riksvei 7, ) is a national road in Norway which runs from the town of Hønefoss in Viken county to the village of Granvin in Vestland county. The route is long and runs east–west through Viken and Vestland coun ...

. The village has a population (2019) of 544 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of . This makes it the largest settlement in the municipality, with over half of Eidfjord's residents living in this village.

Economy

The village is the main commercial and government centre for the whole municipality. The village is a tourist destination with a

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

for summertime cruise ships that sail along the fjord. The

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...

plateau and the

Hardangerjøkulen Hardangerjøkulen ( en, Hardanger Glacier) is the sixth largest glacier in mainland Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Eidfjord and Ulvik in Vestland county. It is located about northeast of the village of Eidfjord, about south of ...

glacier are both located nearby. The

Måbødalen Måbødalen ( en, Måbø Valley) is a narrow valley in Eidfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long valley begins at the village of Øvre Eidfjord and ends at the Sysendalen valley on the western side of the Hardangervidda plateau ...

valley and the famous

Vøringfossen Vøringsfossen ( en, Vøring Falls) is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway on the basis of total fall. It lies at the top of the Måbødalen valley in the municipality of Eidfjord, in Vestland county. It is located near Norwegian National Road 7 ...

waterfall are a short distance away. This is why Eidfjord is home to many hotels, guest houses, and camp sites, as well as souvenir shops. The only school in the municipality, Lægreid School, is located here too.

Geography

Eidfjord is located between the

(on the north side of the village) and the large lake

Eidfjordvatnet Eidfjordvatnet ( en, Lake Eidfjord) is a moraine-dammed lake in the municipality of Eidfjord in Vestland county, Norway. The lake is located immediately southeast of the village of Eidfjord. The village of Øvre Eidfjord lies on the southern shor ...

(on the south side of the village). The short Eio River runs between the lake and the village. The village of

Øvre Eidfjord Øvre Eidfjord is a village in Eidfjord municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the southern end of the lake Eidfjordvatnet, about south of the municipal centre of Eidfjord. Øvre Eidfjord sits along the Bjoreio River, ...

lies about south of Eidfjord, on the south side of the lake Eidfjordvatnet.

History

The village has been inhabited for a long time. There are

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a ...

located just up the hill from the village on a small plateau. The

Old Eidfjord Church Old Eidfjord Church ( no, Eidfjord gamle kyrkje) is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Eidfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Eidfjord. It was historically the church for the Eidfjord pari ...

was built in Eidfjord in 1309. It was in continuous use until 1981 when the new

Eidfjord Church Eidfjord Church ( no, Eidfjord kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Eidfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Eidfjord. It is the church for the Eidfjord parish which is part of the Hardange ...

was built just northwest of the old church.

References

Villages in Vestland Eidfjord {{Vestland-geo-stub