Gudvangen

Gudvangen
Village
Looking towards Gudvangen from the fjord
Gudvangen
Location in Sogn og Fjordane county
Gudvangen
Gudvangen (Norway)
Coordinates: 60°52′43″N 06°50′19″E / 60.87861°N 6.83861°E / 60.87861; 6.83861Coordinates: 60°52′43″N 06°50′19″E / 60.87861°N 6.83861°E / 60.87861; 6.83861
Country Norway
Region Western Norway
County Sogn og Fjordane
District Sogn
Municipality Aurland
Elevation[1] 40 m (130 ft)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code 5747 Gundvangen

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 European route E16 highway passes by the village. Heading southwest on the highway leads to Voss municipality while heading northeast the E16 enters the Gudvanga Tunnel on its way to the villages of Flåm, Undredal, and Aurlandsvangen. The nearby village of Bakka lies about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the north. The Kjelfossen waterfall is located just to the southeast of the village.[2]

Name

The name Gudvangen (Old Norse: Guðvangir) comes from the old farm name. The first element is gud meaning a "heathen god". The vang(en) word is still in use referring the open space in front of a place of worship like Aurlandsvangen and Vossevangen. In Gudvangen, there have been several places of worship since pre-Christian times.[3][4]

References

  1. "Gudvangen" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  2. Store norske leksikon. "Gudvangen" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  3. Brekke, Arne. "Farms in Nærøy". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
  4. Rygh, Oluf (1919). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (12 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 121.


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