Vøringsfossen
title: "Vøringsfossen" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["eidfjord", "waterfalls-of-vestland"] topic_path: "general/eidfjord" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vøringsfossen" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox waterfall"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Vøringsfossen |
| Vøringen | |
| image | Voringsfossen waterfall at Eidfjord, Norway.jpg |
| caption | Vøringsfossen, view from the top of Måbødalen. |
| mapframe | yes |
| coordinates | |
| location | Vestland, Norway |
| height | 182 m |
| height_longest | 163 m |
| number_drops | 5 |
| average_width | 23 m |
| run | 122 m |
| watercourse | Bjoreio |
| average_flow | 12 m3/s |
| type | Tiered Plunges |
| :: |
|name = Vøringsfossen Vøringen |image = Voringsfossen waterfall at Eidfjord, Norway.jpg |image_width = |caption = Vøringsfossen, view from the top of Måbødalen. |mapframe = yes |coordinates = |location = Vestland, Norway |elevation = |height = 182 m |height_longest = 163 m |number_drops = 5 |width = |average_width = 23 m |run = 122 m |watercourse = Bjoreio |average_flow = 12 m3/s |world_rank = |type = Tiered Plunges
Vøringsfossen or Vøringen () is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway on the basis of total fall. It lies at the top of the Måbødalen valley in Eidfjord Municipality in Vestland county. It is located near Norwegian National Road 7, which connects Oslo with Bergen. It has a total drop of 182 m, and a major drop of 163 m. It is perhaps the most famous waterfall in the country and a major tourist attraction on the road down from the Hardangervidda plateau to Hardangerfjord.
There are several warning signs in regard to the dangers of falling to one's death. Other measures for preventing deaths were planned for implementation in the spring of 2015, and a stairway bridge opened in 2020.
Name
The name Vøringsfossen () is derived from the verb vyrða (English: esteem, revere). The last element fossen, the definite form of foss (waterfall), is a later addition. An alternate name that is co-official is Vøringen.
History
The waterfall was hardly known by anyone other than locals until 1821. In that year professor Christopher Hansteen, who was on his way to the Hardangervidda plateau to make astronomical observations, estimated the height of the waterfall to be about 280 m by throwing stones down from the edge and measuring the time they took to fall with his pocket watch. In 1893 it was measured with a string, and the real height was revealed to be 163 m.
In 1880 Ola Garen decided to build a hotel at top of the waterfall. The only way up there was a path with 1,500 stairs up Måbøbjerget together with a bridle path that had been built in 1872 to carry English tourists to the waterfall. In 1891 a new road with tunnels was built along Eidfjordvandet, and in the same year the Fossli Hotel was finished, designed in Art Nouveau style by architect Frederik Konow Lund. All materials for the construction had to be carried on horseback from Eidfjord up to the top of the hill. Around the year 1900 large cruise ships began to visit Eidfjord, and from there passengers were transported by horse and wagon up the valley.
The composer Edvard Grieg had a log cabin nearby and was a frequent visitor to the falls. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Eidfjord_waterfall.webm" caption="A video of Voringsfossen showing the volume of waterfall in summer"] ::
Hydroelectric
The Bjoreio, the small river that flows into Vøringsfossen has a hydroelectric dam in the Sysendalen valley above the falls. The water volume in the river is regulated in connection with power development, but there are requirements for minimum water flow of 12 m3/s above its natural rate in the summer,
Pedestrian bridge
A pedestrian bridge has been placed across the ravine in sections by helicopter. One side is 16 m higher than the other, and its length is 47 m. The design is by Carl-Viggo Holmebakk. An article in Dagsavisen described it as a bridge reminiscent of "a collapsed scaffold for construction, across" the ravine.
References
References
- "Informasjon om stadnamn". [[Norwegian Mapping Authority.
- (April 15, 1973). "Four Exciting Tours". Fort Lauterdale News.
- (1996). "Scandinavia '97: The Complete Guide to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden". Fodor's.
- (2017). "Towards a Harmonic Grammar of Grieg's Late Piano Music: Nature and Nationalism". Routledge.
- Visit Norway. "Vøringsfossen Waterfall". Visit Norway.com.
- Roos, Constance. (1997). "Walking in Norway". Cicerone Press Limited.
- (1980). "Natural Wonders of the World". Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
- {{wwdb name
- [http://www.ba.no/nyheter/article7474463.ece Sikringsarbeidet starter først til neste år]
- (20 August 2020). "Spektakulær gangbru over Vøringsfossen klar for åpning".
- Destinosjon Eidfjord. "Fossli Hotel". Hardangerfjord.com.
- Oliver Moody. (29 September 2020). "Voringsfossen bridge is blot on Norwegian landscape". [[The Times]].
- [https://www.dagsavisen.no/debatt/egoistiske-eventyrere-1.1789522 Egoistiske eventyrere] [Selfish adventurers]. 20 October 2020
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::