Stalheim

Stalheim is a place in the municipality of Voss in the western part of Norway. Since the Middle Ages pervaded the most important communication route between Oslo and Bergen, adjacent to Stalheim Nærøytal, the connection to the first post route between Oslo and Bergen in 1647. At the highest point of the trail at about 300 meters, a post office was established, which is now on display at the museum in Stalheim. The site became one of the first goals of tourism in Norway and in 1885 the post office was replaced by the first hotel. This burned down in 1900 and was replaced by another that burned down in 1902, as well as its successor, which was destroyed in the worst fire to date in 1959. The current hotel was built in 1960 and is made ​​of fire protection measures, the first, was not built primarily of wood, but made ​​of concrete.

The surroundings of Stalheim is dominated by towering cliffs. The town itself is dominated by the hotel and is built for the 1842-46, steep climbs up from the eastern side road that Stalheimskleiva famous with its 13 hairpin bends. Since 1865, could be the place Gudvangen reached by steamboat, Stalheim was important for mass tourism. Horse-drawn carts brought the tourists to this very scenic place. As a famous guests at the hotel the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who spent 25 summer in a row, and the Swedish-Norwegian Union King Oscar II are reminiscent of each of which a memorial stone.

Many painters of the era of national romanticism chose Stalheim as a motive. The most important work is the 1842 painted picture "Fra Stalheim " by Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl. It is considered one of the central images of the Norwegian National Romanticism and is exhibited in the National Gallery in Oslo.