Geiranger is a small tourist village in
Sunnmøre region of
Møre og Romsdal county in the western part of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...
. It is in the municipality of
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. Stranda consists of three smaller villages and one larger central vill ...
at the head of the
Geirangerfjorden, which is a branch of the large
Storfjorden. The nearest city is
Ålesund. Geiranger is home to spectacular scenery, and has been named the best
travel destination in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
by
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
History Early years
Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embark ...
. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The
Seven Sisters waterfall is located just west of Geiranger, directly across another waterfall called "The Suitor."
Norwegian County Road 63
Norwegian County Road 63 ( no, Fylkesvei 63 or ) is a Norwegian county road in Møre og Romsdal county and a very small part in Innlandet county, Norway. It begins at Norwegian National Road 15 along the lake Langvatnet in Skjåk Municipality in ...
passes through the village.
Geiranger Church is the main church for the village and surrounding area.
Geiranger is under constant threat from landslides from the mountain
Åkerneset into the
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icel ...
. A collapse would cause a
tsunami that could destroy downtown Geiranger. For this reason, sirens have been installed to warn residents if a landslide should occur.
Name
The
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
form of the name was . The suffix ''-angr'' ('fjord') is a common element in Norwegian place names (see for instance
Hardanger and
Varanger). The first element could be the plural genitive of the Norse word ''geiri'' ('piece of land; field in a mountain side') which is related to English ''gore'' ('spear-shaped piece of land'). This would then refer to the several small farms and fields lying in the steep mountain sides around the fjord. (See
Knivsflå and
Skageflå.)
Tourism
This third biggest
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...
port in Norway, Geiranger receives 140 to 180 ships during the four-month tourist season. In 2012 some 300,000 cruise passengers visited Geiranger during the summer season.
The Geiranger Port has a cruise terminal, a Seawalk, and 3–4 anchor positions depending on the size of the ships. Constructed in 2013, the Seawalk is a three-segment articulated floating pier. It is long and wide on 10 pontoons, which moves (like a floatable jetwalk) to accommodate up to 4,000 passengers per hour disembarking from a single ship.
Several hundred thousand people pass through the village every summer, and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
is the main business for the 250 people who live there permanently. There are five hotels and over ten camping sites. The tourist season stretches from May to early September. Tours of the nearby historic farms of
Knivsflå and
Skageflå are available from Geiranger.
Each year in June, the
Geiranger – From Fjord to Summit event occurs. It comprises a
half marathon run and a bicycle race, both starting from the sea level at the fjord and ending at the summit of Mount
Dalsnibba, near the lake
Djupvatnet. Since there is still a lot of snow left in the mountains at that time of year, the race is also called "From Summer to Winter".
Media gallery
Sevensisters.jpg, The seven sisters waterfall over Geirangerfjord
Geiranger von der Adlerstrasse.jpg, View of the village of Geiranger
Cascadas Storfossen, Geiranger, Noruega, 2019-09-07, DD 99-104 PAN.jpg, Storfossen falls in Geiranger
Geiranger, Noruega, 2019-09-07, DD 50.jpg, Fishermen houses
Geiranger, Noruega, 2019-09-07, DD 44.jpg, Cabins around Geiranger
Fiordo de Geiranger, Noruega, 2019-09-07, DD 45-48 PAN.jpg, View of the Geirangerfjord
Geirangerfjord_2.jpg, The coastal express passes the old fjord farm Lundaneset
Flydalsjuvet_Geiranger.jpg, View of the fjord and of Geiranger from Flydalsjuvet
Seawalk, Geiranger, Noruega, 2019-09-07, DD 51.jpg, Geiranger movable Seawalk on pontoons
In popular culture
* Released in August 2015,
''The Wave'' (''Bølgen'') is a Norwegian disaster movie based on the premise of a rock slide from the mountain
Åkerneset inundating the town of Geiranger.
A sequel,''
The Quake'' (''Skjelvet'') was released in 2018.
References
External links
geiranger.noGeiranger Fjord��David Cartagena print
Destinasjon Geirangerfjord—TrollstigenImage from GeirangerGeiranger—From Fjord to SummitUNESCO World HeritageGeiranger in 360 degree VR panorama
{{Authority control
Stranda
Villages in Møre og Romsdal