Lysefjord or Lysefjorden is a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

located in the

Ryfylke Ryfylke is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district, encompassing about 60% of the county's area is located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. It includes the mainla ...

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, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county in southwestern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The long fjord lies in the municipalities of

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

and

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

, 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 (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, 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 coo ...

rocks along its sides. It is particularly well known for the huge

Preikestolen Preikestolen or Prekestolen () is a tourist attraction in the municipality of Strand in Rogaland county, Norway. Preikestolen is a steep cliff which rises above Lysefjorden. Atop the cliff, there is an almost flat top of approximately . Preike ...

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 a seasonal road or by boat. The name itself means the "bo ...

lies at the eastern end of the fjord and the villages of Forsand and Oanes both lie at the western end of the fjord near the Lysefjord Bridge, the only crossing of the fjord.

Geology

The fjord was carved by the action of

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

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 g ...

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 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: D ...

(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

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 Årdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Årdalsfjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is ...

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 generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

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 possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

. 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 ha ...

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

Lysefjorden fjord.jpg, Lysefjord from

Kjerag Kjerag or Kiragg is a mountain in the Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain sits on the southern shore of Lysefjorden, just southwest of the village of Lysebotn. Its northern side is a massive cliff, plunging al ...

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

Lysefjordbroen sett fra Sokkanuten.jpg, Lysefjord Bridge Lysefjorden, Rogaland fylke.jpg, Lysefjorden, Rogaland fylke Panorama of Lysefjord.jpg, Panorama of Lysefjord with

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 Tourism, tours k ...

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

, 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

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 desti ...

is a famous boulder located at the Kjerag mountain.

BASE jumping BASE jumping () is the recreational sport of jumping from fixed objects, using a parachute to descend to the ground. BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antenna (radio), antenna ...

is legally allowed along the cliffs of the fjord.

''Toilers of the Sea''

French writer

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

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