Hardangervidda
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Hardangervidda in summer
The Hardangervidda is Norway located in the Fylken Buskerud, Hordaland and Telemark Plateaufjell and the largest mountain plateau in Europe. It has an area of around 8000 km ² and a mean height of 1200 m and 1400 m. The ridge Sandfloeggi is with 1719 m the highest elevation of the plateau. As the symbol of the true mountain Hårteigen.
Description
Since 1981, 3422 km ² of Hardangervidda - the largest national park in Norway - largely protected from human impacts ( see Hardangervidda National Park ).
The plateau is the remains of a mountain that was abraded during the Pleistocene ice ages by glaciers. The glaciers of the plateau gave its present shape with wide plains, shallow lakes and few, gently rising peaks. Only in the higher western part where the plane for Bosvik and Eidfjord falls away, there are more rugged sections.
Humans have inhabited the high plateau after the last ice age around 6,000 BC. He probably followed the reindeer, who advanced with the receding ice on the fertile plain. Today, tourism is on the Hardangervidda an important economic factor.
Flora and Fauna
On the plateau 24 mammal species and 114 bird species have been recorded.
On the Hardangervidda sheep is operated. The largest wild herd of reindeer in Norway with about 15,000 animals (as of 1996) lives in the Hardangervidda. The reindeer migrate in spring from winter pastures in the eastern part of the plateau at the higher, food -rich summer pastures of Western Hardangervidda. There are, among others, snowy owl, ptarmigan, arctic foxes, arctic hares, wolverines and a massive number of mountain lemmings whose population increases by leaps and bounds every eleven to twelve years.
The precipitation -rich western part of Hardangervidda offers a Fjell relatively high plant richness, while the eastern and northern parts in the interior is still rather sparse. It has registered more than 450 plant species in the Hardangervidda. Below are some species which are otherwise circulated only in polar regions. In particular, the Hardangervidda for the rich deposits of cloudberry is known.
Due to the extreme winter conditions, the plateau is the southernmost habitat for many polar animal and plant species.
In September - first snow
Hardangervidda in winter
Road in the Hardangervidda
Map lichen on a rock stone Hardangervidda
Golden Plover in August
Attractions
- Hardangerjøkulen, a glacier, which lies immediately north of the Hardangervidda
- Hårteigen, a mountain
- Vøringsfoss, a waterfall
- Hardangerfjord
- Stave churches in the vicinity of the Hardangervidda in:
- Middelalderuka (German: " Medieval Week " ) (July / August) in Numedal
Museum
In the Hardangervidda there are two museums. By the lake Mosvatnet in Tinn is a museum and in Eidfjord Hardangervidda National Park Centre.
Activities
- Trekking, skiing and cycling and hiking are popular vacation activities in the National Park. There is a widely developed network of managed, self-service ( with food stocks ) and unstaffed cabins of DNT footpaths. There are also various private, managed mountain huts. In winter, however, they are most often about until mid-March, closed. The Right of Free camping permits and stay in nature.
- The Troll train is an imaginary Desk with children small train. It runs between June to August between Vøringsfoss and the Måbø Gård Museum.
- Handcar ride on the disused track the Numedalbahn.
- The Rallarroad is considered one of the most beautiful cycling routes in Norway and runs largely parallel to the mountain railway. It is not easy to ride in some areas with the wheel, is closed to traffic and is part of the National Cycle Route 4
Traffic
About the Hardangervidda the Riksvei 7 leads from the Hardanger Fjord on the west coast of Norway to Geilo in Hallingdal. Since the road users who are struggling on the track in winter partially covered with snow drifts and icy roads, Kolonnekjøring is prescribed in adverse weather conditions often.
The standard gauge railway in the mountain railway from Oslo to Bergen via Finse over the high plateau.