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19-414: The area is dominated by the vast Hardangervidda plateau in the east and the large Folgefonna glacier on the central Folgefonna peninsula. The district was selected as the millennium site for the old Hordaland county. In the early Viking Age , before Harald Fairhair , Hardanger was a petty kingdom with its capital at Kinsarvik . The Old Norse form of the name was Harðangr . The first element

38-451: A marked effect on the flora, which is richer on the wetter west side than in the drier east; much of the plateau is covered by coarse grasses , mosses (especially sphagnum ) and lichens. Ciclosporin , an immunosuppressant drug widely used in organ transplantation to prevent rejection was initially isolated from the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum ( Beauveria nivea ), found in a soil sample obtained in 1969 from Hardangervidda. In

57-492: Is a type of whitework that takes its name from that region. It is made with geometric designs of kloster (blocks), "ships", diamonds, and other embroidery techniques. It is worked on Hardanger or linen fabric which has a "count" of 22 to 29 threads per inch. Traditionally it is worked on white fabric with white cotton thread but in recent years other colors and threads are popular. Norwegian bunads ( Hardangerbunad , native costumes) from that region often feature this embroidery on

76-521: Is derived from the ethnonym hǫrðar , or from harðr meaning "hard" (referring to wind and weather). The last element is angr "tight fjord " (the name originally belonged to the fjord, now called Hardangerfjord ). The region is one of Norway's most important sources of fruit and constitutes approximately 40% of the national fruit production, including apple , plum , pear , cherry and redcurrant . Apples have been cultivated in Hardanger since

95-619: Is the "Nordmannsslepa" linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal. It is still a key transit route between Oslo and Bergen . The Bergen Line and the main Norwegian National Road 7 cross the plateau. In 1981, much of the Hardangervidda was designated a national park , Norway's largest at 3,422 km (1,321 sq mi). The park's boundaries stretch from Numedal and Uvdal in

114-615: Is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe , with a cold year-round alpine climate , and one of Norway's largest glaciers , Hardangerjøkulen , is situated here. Much of the plateau is protected as part of Hardangervidda National Park . Hardangervidda is a popular tourist and leisure destination, and it is ideal for many outdoor activities. The plateau is the largest peneplain (eroded plain) in Europe , covering an area of about 6,500 km (2,500 sq mi) at an average elevation of 1,100 metres (3,600 ft). The highest point on

133-726: Is titled "Across the Hardanger Mountain Plateau" and features a train crossing the area. Sandfloegga Sandfloegga or Sandfloeggi is a mountain in Ullensvang Municipality in southeastern Vestland county, Norway . It lies on the southern part of the vast Hardangervidda mountain plateau, and is the highest mountain on Hardangervidda when the bordering summits of Hardangerjøkulen and Folarskardnuten are omitted. The 1,721-metre (5,646 ft) tall mountain lies inside Hardangervidda National Park , about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of

152-620: The Holocene climatic optimum ( Stone Age ) 9,000–5,000 years ago, the regional climate was warmer, and large parts of Hardangervidda were wooded; pine logs can still be found preserved in bogs well above today's treeline. With the predicted warming , Hardangervidda could again be largely wooded. The national park has two visitor centres on the plateau: the Hardangervidda Natursenter (Nature Centre) in Eidfjord , and

171-543: The 14th century, the agricultural experience brought by English monks who first arrived at Lyse Abbey in 1146. The climate, soil and seasonal conditions of the region are believed to be particularly beneficial to the growth of apples. In 2005, juice produced from Hardanger apples became Norway's third product to be granted protection of origin name , with applications pending for other regional produce. In 2006, an Ulvik farmer and producer of sparkling cider , Nils Lekve of Hardanger Saft og Siderfabrikk, successfully navigated

190-578: The Hardangervidda Nasjonalparksenter (National Park Centre) in Tinn at Skinnarbu, near the lake Møsvatnet , the town Rjukan and the mountain village Rauland . The Hardangervidda has been occupied for thousands of years; several hundred nomadic Stone Age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway. One example

209-746: The action of glaciers during the ice ages . The bedrock is mainly of Precambrian and Cambro - Silurian origin. The area of Hardangervidda was once part of the Sub-Cambrian peneplain before it was thrust over by the nappes of the Caledonian orogeny in Paleozoic times. Much later, in the Miocene epoch, the modern flatness of Hardangervidda took form as a peneplain formed at sea level. Then in Early Pliocene times Hardangervidda and

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228-557: The bottom of the white apron. Hardanger also lends its name to the Hardanger fiddle which was originally produced there. Krotekake is a type of lefse unique to the region. 60°20′N 6°30′E  /  60.333°N 6.500°E  / 60.333; 6.500 Hardangervidda Hardangervidda (English: Hardanger Plateau ) is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian : vidde ) in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland , Telemark , and Buskerud counties. It

247-523: The east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west. The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) maintains a comprehensive network of huts and paths across the plateau. It is a popular destination for hiking , climbing and fishing , and in winter for cross-country skiing from hut to hut. Norwegian music projects Ildjarn and Nidhogg combined their talents to produce two ambient albums, one titled "Hardangervidda Part I" (2003) and

266-495: The narrow and complex directives of Norwegian alcohol laws, and completed a distribution agreement with monopoly alcoholic beverage outlet Vinmonopolet , making Hardanger Sider Sprudlande available for national sale by July 2006. Lekve's efforts earned him a top 3 finalist nomination for the Bygdeutviklingsprisen (English: Local community development award ), awarded by Innovasjon Norge . Hardanger embroidery

285-693: The other "Hardangervidda Part II" (2003), inspired entirely by this zone. The final two acts of the play When We Dead Awaken ( Danish : Når vi døde vågner ) by Henrik Ibsen , are set in a mountain health resort in Hardangervidda. Location shooting for the Hoth sequences in The Empire Strikes Back took place on the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The title theme of the Norwegian film O'Horten , by Norwegian composer Kaada ,

304-401: The plateau during the year, moving from their winter grazing lands on the east side of the Hardangervidda, where they graze on lichen , to their breeding grounds in the more fertile west of the plateau. On 26 August 2016, 323 were killed by lightning , prompting a Norwegian Environment Agency discussion on whether to leave so many corpses in the open. The varying climate of the plateau has

323-513: The plateau is the Sandfloegga , which reaches a height of 1,721 m (5,646 ft). The landscape of the Hardangervidda is characterised by barren, treeless moorland interrupted by numerous pools, lakes, rivers and streams. There are significant differences between the west side, which is dominated by rocky terrain and expanses of bare rock, and the east side, which is much flatter and more heavily vegetated. The climate also varies between

342-406: The two sides: it is considerably wetter on the west side than on the east, with over 1,000 millimetres (39 in) per year recorded in some parts. The prominent peak of Hårteigen 1,690 m (5,545 ft) is visible across much of the plateau. Much of the Hardangervidda's geology is extremely ancient. The rolling fells of the Hardangervidda are the remnants of mountains that were worn down by

361-483: The whole of southern Scandinavian Mountains were uplifted more than thousand meters. The whole of the Hardangervidda is above the tree line . Its alpine climate enables the presence of many species of arctic animals and plants further south than anywhere else in Europe. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world, with some 15,000 animals recorded in 1996 and about 8,000 in 2008. They migrate across

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