Flåm
Encyclopedia
Flåm is a village at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord
. The village is located in the municipality of Aurland
in Sogn og Fjordane
county, Norway
. The village is located along the highway, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southwest of Aurlandsvangen
, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Undredal
, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Gudvangen
(through the Gudvanga Tunnel).
form of the Old Norse
word flá meaning "plain, flat piece of land", and it refers to the flood plains of the Flåm River.
, one of the steepest railway tracks at 1 in 18 (not counting rack railway
s) in the world. There are also a few spirals
. A former rail station building in Flåm now houses a museum dedicated to the Flåm railway.
The harbour of Flåm receives some 131 cruise ships per year, including RMS Queen Mary 2
.
The Rallarvegen
road between Flåm and Finse
is popular with bicycle tourists. The European route E16
highway between Oslo
and Bergen
runs through Flåm.
Sognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
. The village is located in the municipality of Aurland
Aurland
Aurland is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, Flåm, Undredal, and Gudvangen....
in Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
county, 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...
. The village is located along the highway, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southwest of Aurlandsvangen
Aurlandsvangen
Aurlandsvangen is the administrative center of the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located on the east side of the Aurlandsfjord where the Aurlandselvi river flows into the fjord. The village of Undredal and the famous Nærøyfjord are located just a few...
, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Undredal
Undredal
Undredal is a small village in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located along the Aurlandsfjord, about south of the Nærøyfjord...
, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Gudvangen
Gudvangen
Gudvangen is a village in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is a popular tourist destination and is located at the end of the Nærøyfjord where the Nærøydalselvi river empties into the fjord. The highway passes by the village...
(through the Gudvanga Tunnel).
Name
The name Flåm is documented as early as 1340 as Flaam. It is derived from the plural dativeDative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
form of the Old Norse
Old 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....
word flá meaning "plain, flat piece of land", and it refers to the flood plains of the Flåm River.
Transportation
The village of Flåm is a popular tourist destination and has been so since the late 19th century. It currently receives almost 450,000 visitors a year. Most come to enjoy the scenic 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) Flåm railway between Flåm and MyrdalMyrdal station
Myrdal Station is a mountain railway station and junction, located on the Bergen Line regional mainline in Aurland, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. The railway station is also the upper terminal of the Flåm Line local railway, which ascends from the valley floor of the Sognefjord to the mountain-top...
, one of the steepest railway tracks at 1 in 18 (not counting rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
s) in the world. There are also a few spirals
Spiral (railway)
A spiral is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills.A railway spiral rises on a steady curve until it has completed a loop, passing over itself as it gains height, allowing the railway to gain vertical elevation in a relatively short horizontal distance...
. A former rail station building in Flåm now houses a museum dedicated to the Flåm railway.
The harbour of Flåm receives some 131 cruise ships per year, including RMS Queen Mary 2
RMS Queen Mary 2
RMS Queen Mary 2 is a transatlantic ocean liner. She was the first major ocean liner built since in 1969, the vessel she succeeded as flagship of the Cunard Line....
.
The Rallarvegen
Rallarvegen
Rallarvegen is the name of a construction road in Norway,built from 1902 to 1904 in connection with the construction of theBergensbanen railline...
road between Flåm and Finse
Finse
Finse is an area in the Ulvik municipality of Hordaland, Norway. The railway station at Finse on the Bergensbanen at 1,222m is the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system. Since there are no roads to Finse, the railway provides the sole means of transportation to and from Finse....
is popular with bicycle tourists. 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,...
highway between Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
runs through Flåm.