we had a wonderful few days in Hardanger, a scenic region in the west of Norway. this series of photos are taken on the last say of our trip. the fjord is Sørfjorden which is a side arm of the much larger main Hardangerfjord. behind these mountains lies the glacier Folgefonna which is the source of the waterfall in the photos
today the whole of Hardanger is very beautiful and a popular tourist destination but the innermost part of this particular fjord was a center for heavy industry for over 100 years and both the air and fjord were the most polluted in all of Norway. the situation is better now with excellent air quality and far less water pollution. however fjords generally have little interchange of water with the ocean they border, so the pollutants remain for the most part on the bottom of the fjord. these include heavy metals, pcb, pah, ddt and more.
these magnificent steep mountains with their many picturesque waterfalls is the very reason that heavy industry found this place so attractive. some of the waterfalls were directed into huge pipes and channelled to produce the electricity needed.
while all fishing is stil prohibited in Sørfjorden as is deep water fishing in the greater Hardangerfjord network, most of the industry is gone now and with several untouched falls remaining the place is most alluring. what was once a slendid wilderness has through the centuries been transformed into a region with plenty of untouched nature accompanied by an interesting cultural history.
