Filefjell
Encyclopedia
Filefjell is a mountainous area between Lærdal
and Valdres
in Norway
.
It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking West Norway
and Østlandet
.
Fjáll, the same root that evolved into the modern word Fjell. Thus Filefjell in English would be "Mountain-Mountain".
mountain range. To the south it meets with the Buskerud
border.
The European route E16
crosses the mountain and reaches it highest point at Varden (1013 meters).
The road follows a valley through the mountainous area, and because of this is somewhat protected from the fierce weather of the Norwegian winter. The road is rarely closed due to wind or snow, making it the most reliable of the mountain passes in Norway.
On both sides of the valley the terrain climbs steeply up to plateaus, with rolling hills and numerous lakes at about 1300 meters. The highest peak of the range is Sulefjellet
at 1812 meters.
and species of salicaceae
grows up to about 1200 meters. Higher up the landscape can be described as a tundra
and moss
and different forms of ericaceae
dominates.
Grouse
, hare
, fox
and the occasional wolverine
and elk
are found. Filefjell also has numerous wild reindeer
. In the 90's one attempted to start reindeer herding in Filefjell, the project was later abandoned, but some of the reindeer herd, which was moved down from Trøndelag
, was left to mix with the native reindeer.
The lakes are populated by trout
.
. Reindeer hunters dug systems of pits to catch their pray and these can still be seen. Arrow heads from the same period have also been found.
Smedalen is the main valley. The name means The Smith Valley and evidence of Iron
production in the Iron Age
. Burial Mounds from the same period are also found here.
The Filefjell Kongevegen
(The Kings Road) is the name of the old trail over Filefjell. Due to the sometimes wet and marshy land in the valley bottom, the old trail runs farther up in the hill than the modern asphalt-road does today, and is still used for hiking
. It has its name after king Sverre I of Norway who traveled here with his army. The road got official status as main road in the year 1791.
Maristova (built on Queen Margrete's
command around 1390) and Nystuen in Vang (first mentioned in 1627 but believed to be much older) guesthouses provide for travelers along the road. The hosts of the shelters were compensated by the king to aid travelers and provide shelters for those who used the road. This lasted until 1830.
In Smedalen there has been, and still is, dairy farming
in the summer. Goat
s, cows and sheep are herded in the rich mountain pastures and goat cheese is still sold in some places.
In the middle of Smedalen, at Kyrkjestølen, the St. Thomas Church stands. It is believed to have been built on a pagan
temple
. This site was the meeting place for people from Sogn
, Valdres
and Hallingdal
, who met to perform midsummer Blót
and trade.
When Christianity came the hov vas transformed into a church but the traditions remained mostly unchanged. Little is known of this until the 17th century when the Church was upgraded.
People started to believe that the Church had healing power, and that sinners had better chance of getting absolution here. People started to come here in great numbers for the mass
on July 2. But the main attraction was the market, where herring
and other sea products were traded for inland products like fur
. Horse trading were also part of the market. Drinking, fighting, gambling, rape and murder were not uncommon in these markets. It is said that when the wives packed for their husbands going to the market, they also packed their funeral-shirts. In 1808 the priests were so angry with the ungodly activities that they demanded the church to be torn down and the market was banned. A modern church were built at the site in 1971.
, hunting
, hiking
and skiing
are popular. Many cottages have been built the last 30 years. Several hotels are used by tourists who come to ski in the mountain or in the downhill skiing park.
Lærdal
Lærdal is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Lærdalsøyri...
and Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking West Norway
Vestlandet
Western Norway is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane, and Møre og Romsdal and the region has a population of approximately 1.3 million people. The largest city is Bergen, second largest is Stavanger...
and Østlandet
Østlandet
Eastern Norway or Austlandet ) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Telemark, Vestfold, Østfold, Akershus, Oslo , Buskerud, Oppland and Hedmark....
.
Etymology
Filefjell or sometimes Fillefjell, might be a double-name as "file" is thought to be derived from Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Fjáll, the same root that evolved into the modern word Fjell. Thus Filefjell in English would be "Mountain-Mountain".
Geography
Filefjell is at the easter part of the ((Sogn og Fjordane)), borders to Valdres, Vang Kommune in the (( Oppland )). In North it borders the western part of JotunheimenJotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
mountain range. To the south it meets with the Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
border.
The European route E16
European route E16
European route E 16 is the designation of a main west-east road through Northern Ireland, Scotland and Norway, from Derry to Oslo, via Glasgow, Edinburgh, previously by ferry to Bergen, Voss, through the Gudvanga Tunnel, Lærdal, through the Lærdal Tunnel, over Filefjell to Fagernes, Hønefoss,...
crosses the mountain and reaches it highest point at Varden (1013 meters).
The road follows a valley through the mountainous area, and because of this is somewhat protected from the fierce weather of the Norwegian winter. The road is rarely closed due to wind or snow, making it the most reliable of the mountain passes in Norway.
On both sides of the valley the terrain climbs steeply up to plateaus, with rolling hills and numerous lakes at about 1300 meters. The highest peak of the range is Sulefjellet
Sulefjellet
Sulefjellet is a mountain of Oppland, in southern Norway....
at 1812 meters.
Biology
The biology of Filefjell is the same as to most Norwegian mountainous areas. In the main valley birchBirch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and species of salicaceae
Salicaceae
Salicaceae are a family of flowering plants. Recent genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has greatly expanded the circumscription of the family to contain 55 genera....
grows up to about 1200 meters. Higher up the landscape can be described as a tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
and moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
and different forms of ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
dominates.
Grouse
Willow Grouse
The Willow Ptarmigan , also known as the Willow Grouse, is a bird of the grouse subfamily. It is a sedentary species, breeding in birch and other forests and moorlands in the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, northern Canada, in particular the province of Newfoundland and Labrador...
, hare
Mountain Hare
The Mountain Hare , also known as Blue Hare, Tundra Hare, Variable Hare, White Hare, Alpine Hare and Irish Hare, is a hare, which is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. It is distributed from Fennoscandia to eastern Siberia; in addition there are isolated populations in the Alps,...
, fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
and the occasional wolverine
Wolverine
The wolverine, pronounced , Gulo gulo , also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae . It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids...
and elk
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
are found. Filefjell also has numerous wild reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
. In the 90's one attempted to start reindeer herding in Filefjell, the project was later abandoned, but some of the reindeer herd, which was moved down from Trøndelag
Trøndelag
Trøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the central part of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. The region is, together with Møre og Romsdal, part of a larger...
, was left to mix with the native reindeer.
The lakes are populated by trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
.
History
People have used Filefjell since the Stone ageStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. Reindeer hunters dug systems of pits to catch their pray and these can still be seen. Arrow heads from the same period have also been found.
Smedalen is the main valley. The name means The Smith Valley and evidence of Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
production in the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. Burial Mounds from the same period are also found here.
The Filefjell Kongevegen
Filefjell Kongevegen
The Filefjell Kongevegen is the name of the old trail over Filefjell, the mountainous area between Lærdal/Borgund and Valdres in Norway. It is the historical main route linking Western Norway and Eastern Norway....
(The Kings Road) is the name of the old trail over Filefjell. Due to the sometimes wet and marshy land in the valley bottom, the old trail runs farther up in the hill than the modern asphalt-road does today, and is still used for hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
. It has its name after king Sverre I of Norway who traveled here with his army. The road got official status as main road in the year 1791.
Maristova (built on Queen Margrete's
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
command around 1390) and Nystuen in Vang (first mentioned in 1627 but believed to be much older) guesthouses provide for travelers along the road. The hosts of the shelters were compensated by the king to aid travelers and provide shelters for those who used the road. This lasted until 1830.
In Smedalen there has been, and still is, dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
in the summer. Goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, cows and sheep are herded in the rich mountain pastures and goat cheese is still sold in some places.
In the middle of Smedalen, at Kyrkjestølen, the St. Thomas Church stands. It is believed to have been built on a pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
. This site was the meeting place for people from Sogn
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...
, Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
and Hallingdal
Hallingdal
Hallingdal is a valley and traditional district in Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.-History:Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda...
, who met to perform midsummer Blót
Blót
The blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples, such as the pagan Anglo-Saxons...
and trade.
When Christianity came the hov vas transformed into a church but the traditions remained mostly unchanged. Little is known of this until the 17th century when the Church was upgraded.
People started to believe that the Church had healing power, and that sinners had better chance of getting absolution here. People started to come here in great numbers for the mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
on July 2. But the main attraction was the market, where herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
and other sea products were traded for inland products like fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
. Horse trading were also part of the market. Drinking, fighting, gambling, rape and murder were not uncommon in these markets. It is said that when the wives packed for their husbands going to the market, they also packed their funeral-shirts. In 1808 the priests were so angry with the ungodly activities that they demanded the church to be torn down and the market was banned. A modern church were built at the site in 1971.
Tourism
Filefjell is nowadays used mostly in recreational activities. FishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
are popular. Many cottages have been built the last 30 years. Several hotels are used by tourists who come to ski in the mountain or in the downhill skiing park.
See also
- Dovre National ParkDovre National ParkDovre National Park is a national park in Hedmark and Oppland, Norway, that was established in 2003. Dovre covers an area of 289 km² and the altitude varies from the tree line around 1000 meters to 1716 meters ....
- Rondane National ParkRondane National ParkRondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above , with the highest being Rondslottet at an altitude of . The park is an important habitat for herds of wild reindeer....
- Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National ParkDovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National ParkDovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park is a National Park in Norway. It was founded in 2002 to replace and enlarge the former Dovrefjell National Park, originally founded in 1974...
- List of national parks of Norway
- Tourism in NorwayTourism in NorwayThe main tourist attractions of Norway are the fjord-indented coastline and its mountains, the unspoiled nature of the inner parts of the country, and the cities and smaller towns.-Attractions:...
- Norwegian Mountain Touring AssociationNorwegian Mountain Touring AssociationThe Norwegian Trekking Association is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on 21 January 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly...
- Peer GyntPeer GyntPeer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...