Lysefjord or Lysefjorden is a

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, Ice ...

located in the Ryfylke area in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

county in southwestern

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 long fjord lies in the municipalities of Strand and

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway and together, the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies ...

, about east of the city of Stavanger. The name means ''light fjord'', and is said to be derived from the lightly coloured

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

rocks along its sides. It is particularly well known for the huge Preikestolen cliff overlooking the fjord, which is a major tourist destination for the region. The fairly isolated village of

Lysebotn Lysebotn is a village in Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the eastern end of the Lysefjorden in a very isolated valley that is only accessible by one road or by boat. The name itself means the "bottom nd ...

lies at the eastern end of the fjord and the villages of Forsand and

Oanes Oanes is a small farming village in Strand Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the intersection between the Lysefjorden and Høgsfjorden, just north of the village of Forsand. The Norwegian National Road 13 runs t ...

both lie at the western end of the fjord near the

Lysefjord Bridge Lysefjord Bridge no, Lysefjordbrua is a suspension bridge over the Lysefjorden in Rogaland county, Norway. The bridge connects the municipalities of Strand (on the north end of the bridge) and Sandnes (on the south end of the bridge). Construct ...

, the only crossing of the fjord.

Geology

The fjord was carved by the action of

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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s in the

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

s and was flooded by the sea when the later glaciers retreated. The geology of Lysefjorden was thoroughly investigated and described by Professor

Bjørn G. Andersen Bjørn Grothaug Andersen (23 March 1924 in Norway, 1924, in Stavanger, Norway – 12 January 2012 in Norway, 2012, in Asker, Norway) was a Norwegians, Norwegian professor of Quaternary geology and glaciology who made foundational contributio ...

in his

Master's thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

(1954) ''(On the glacial retreat in the area between the Lysefjord and the Jøsenfjord in Ryfylke)''. End to end, it measures with rocky walls falling nearly vertically over into the water. Not only is the fjord long and narrow, it is in places as deep as the mountains are high. Starting at a depth of only deep where it meets the sea near Forsand village, the Lysefjord then heads inland and drops to a depth of over below the Preikestolen.

Population

Because of the inhospitable, mountainous terrain, the fjord is only lightly populated and only has two villages on its length - Forsand and

, located at opposite ends of the fjord. There is a small farming area on the north shore of the fjord, about halfway between the two ends. That farm area is accessible by road from the village of Årdal over the mountains to the north. There are a few other very small, scattered settlements along the fjord, but those are only accessible by boat along the fjord. There are no roads along the fjord since the sides of the fjord are too steep for roads.

, at the far eastern end of the fjord, is largely populated by workers at the nearby

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

plants at Lyse and Tjodan, both built inside the mountains. At the Lyse plant, the water falls to the turbines, producing up to of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

. At Tjodan, the water falls to yield an output of . The two power plants provide electricity for more than 100,000 people. A spectacular road which rises almost through a series of 27

hairpin bends A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...

including a long hairpin tunnel inside the mountain is the only road access to Lysebotn from the outside world.

Gallery

Lysefjord.jpg, Lysefjord from the top of Preikestolen Lysefjorden fjord.jpg, Lysefjord from Kjerag mountain Lysefjord from lysebotn2.jpg, Lysefjord from

Lysefjorden air.jpg, Lysefjorden looking west Lysebotn Lysefjord 2004 2.jpg, View of Lysebotn, looking west Kjerag.jpg, Looking over the cliff at Kjerag Lysefjordbroen sett fra Sokkanuten.jpg,

Lysefjorden, Rogaland fylke.jpg, Lysefjorden, Rogaland fylke Panorama of Lysefjord.jpg, Panorama of Lysefjord with Preikestolen at the right of the image

Tourism

Lysefjorden is an extremely popular tourist attraction and day trip from the nearby city of Stavanger, from where

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 "s ...

s travel the full distance of the fjord. As well as the extraordinary scenery of the fjord itself, two points along its length are popular side trips. The towering cliff of Preikestolen, located above the fjord with a vertical drop of ,http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Preikestolen_Map.jpg can be seen from the fjord, but is more impressive from above. At the end of the fjord lies the tall Kjerag mountain, a popular hiking destination with even more spectacular drops. The

Kjeragbolten Kjeragbolten (English: ''Kjerag Bolt'') is a boulder on the mountain Kjerag in Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The rock itself is a glacial deposit wedged in a large crevice in the mountain. It is a popular tourist destination ...

is a famous boulder located at the Kjerag mountain. BASE jumping is legally allowed along the cliffs of the fjord.

''Toilers of the Sea''

French writer

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

wrote the novel, Toilers of the Sea, in which he admires the scenery of the fjord after a visit here in 1866.

References

External links

Lysefjord
* http://www.ryfylke.com

Lysefjorden Turist information

Webcam from Lysefjorden

Lysefjord Map
Handy Map with comprehensive Trip explanation {{authority control Fjords of Rogaland Strand, Norway Sandnes