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The West Norwegian Fjords are on the World Heritage List. Norway is famous for its fjords, and there are many of them along the western coast. Two are more special than the others.
The UNESCO World Heritage List includes more than a thousand properties with outstanding universal value. They are all part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
Official facts
- Official title: West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord
- Country: Norway
- Date of Inscription: 2005
- Category: Natural site
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre’s short description of site no. 1195:
“Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape, which stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east. The two fjords, among the world’s longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere.
Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. The landscape features a range of supporting natural phenomena, both terrestrial and marine, such as submarine moraines and marine mammals.”
My visit
Say no more, this is my own country and my own backyard. I have no objections to awarding these two fjords the honour of being on this prestigious List. I have taken ferries the length of both of them, and I have a few other fjords up my sleeve if UNESCO comes around another time.
The video is from a visit in 2012. Read about that visit here.
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