Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
s in the
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...
region of
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 the ...
. They are located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the municipalities of
Ullensvang
Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd ...
,
Kvinnherad
Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.
The administrative centre of the mu ...
, and
Etne
Etne is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the ...
. The three glaciers are:
*
Nordre (northern) Folgefonna, with an area of
*
Midtre (central) Folgefonna, with an area of
*
Søndre (southern) Folgefonna, with an area of , making it the third largest glacier in the mainland of Norway.
In total, Folgefonna covers about (measured in 2006). On 14 May 2005,
Folgefonna National Park
Folgefonna National Park ( no, Folgefonna nasjonalpark) is a national park in Vestland county, Norway. The park is located on the Folgefonna peninsula and it spans the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Etne, and Ullensvang. The national park was ope ...
was established, protecting the glaciers and the surrounding areas.
The glacier is home to a summer skiing resort, located on its northern region. The largest outflow glaciers from Folgefonna are Blomstølskardbreen,
Bondhusbreen
The Bondhusbreen is a glacier in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The glacier is an offshoot of the vast Folgefonna glacier, and it lies inside the Folgefonna National Park. The glacier has a length of around and a height di ...
, and
Buarbreen
Buarbreen or Buerbreen is a glacier in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an offshoot of the large Folgefonna glacier. The small glacial arm reaches down into the Buardalen valley, just southwest of the town of Odda. The g ...
. Since around 1960, Blomstølskardbreen on the southern end of Folgefonna has changed very little. Bondhusbreen and Buerbreen further north were growing in the 1990s, but have been retreating since the year 2000. The glacier is a famous tourist attraction. Most people who visit the town of
Odda
Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...
usually take the walk to
Buarbreen
Buarbreen or Buerbreen is a glacier in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an offshoot of the large Folgefonna glacier. The small glacial arm reaches down into the Buardalen valley, just southwest of the town of Odda. The g ...
(a part of Folgafonna).
The melt-water from this glacier is bottled at source to form the product
Isklar. The melt-water also goes down the river from
Buarbreen
Buarbreen or Buerbreen is a glacier in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an offshoot of the large Folgefonna glacier. The small glacial arm reaches down into the Buardalen valley, just southwest of the town of Odda. The g ...
down into the lake
Sandvinvatnet
Sandvinvatnet is a lake in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies on the southern edge of the town of Odda. The Buardalen valley and Buarbreen glacier lie to the west of the lake. The Norwegian National Road 13 runs al ...
.
File:Bondhusglacier.jpg, Bondhusbreen - an offshoot of Folgefonna
File:Looking down from Folgefonna Glacier.jpg, Looking down from the glacier
File:Folgefonna south.JPG, Aerial view of the glaciers
File:Hardanger Folgefonna-Gletscher 10.JPG, A closer view of the glacier
Name
The first element is ''folge'' meaning 'thin layer of snow' and the last element is the finite form of ''fonn'' meaning 'mass of snow, glacier made of snow'.
See also
*
*
List of mountains in Norway by prominence
This is a list of the mountains of Norway, ordered by their topographic prominence. On the island Jan Mayen, a Norwegian administered island northeast of Iceland, the volcano Beerenberg has a height and prominence , and on the island Spitsbergen i ...
References
Glaciers of Vestland
Ullensvang
Etne
Kvinnherad
{{Vestland-geo-stub