Geiranger

Historie

Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county in the western part of Norway. It lies in Stranda at the head of the Geirangerfjorden, which is a branch of the large Storfjorden. The nearest city is Ålesund. Geiranger is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Seven Sisters waterfall is located just west of Geiranger, directly across another waterfall called "The Suitor." Norwegian County Road 63 passes through the village. Geiranger Church is the main church for the village and surrounding area.Geiranger is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset which could erode into the fjord. A collapse could cause a tsunami that could destroy downtown Geiranger.The nameThe Norse form of the name was Geirangr. The suffix -angr ('fjord') - a common element in Norwegian place names (see for instance Hardanger and Varanger). The first element could be the plural genitive of the Norse word geiri ('piece of land; field in a mountain side') - which is related to English gore ('spearshaped piece of land'). This would then refer to the several small farms and fields lying in the steep mountain sides around the fjord. (See Knivsflå and Skageflå.)