Vøringsfossen - Norway's most famous waterfall?

Vøringsfossen find in Eidfjord in Hordaland county. It has a vertical drop of 145 meters and an overall drop of 182 meters. The waterfall is located right off of interstate 7 furthest inside Måbødalen in Hardanger, and is one of Norway's most visited natural attractions.

But it has not always been ...

Until 1821, Vøringfossen was hardly known by anyone other than the local population. The story goes that Professor Christopher Hansteen on his way down to Eidfjord after a trip across the Hardangervidda to make some astronomical observations constantly stopped to admire the fantastic waterfalls in the area. One of the men who was with him carrying the equipment then exclaimed "there is nothing there". He wanted to show off a waterfall that was much more admirable. And so it went, Christopher Hansteen got to see Vøringfossen, and was shaken at the sight of the mighty waterfall. With a stone and his pocket watch, he calculated the fall height to be 280 meters.

After this falls through as national symbol and nature attraction, and it was eventually decided that it would be built a hotel at the top of the waterfall. Initially, the Fossli hotel accessible only by foot - from about 1900 the passengers were transported by horse and cart.

Already in 1915 tortuous the first car up to Fossli bridge and six years later was obtained infrastructure right up to the hotel.

Old highway 7 considered a masterpiece of engineering. In 1986 opened the new highway 7 with four tunnels.

Good trip!