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Loen and Lodalen:
Loen, Lodalen and Rake are situated in the very
heart of the beautiful and dramatic landscape
between the innermost reaches of the Nordfjord
and the snow and ice of the mighty
Jostedalsbreen icecap. The village of Loen, one
of the many gateways to the Jostedalsbreen
National Park in the Inner Nordfjord region, has
a population of about 600. In addition to
tourism, many people work in agriculture and
industry.
The green-tinged glacial waters of the Loelva
river run through the middle of the fertile
valley, surrounded by cultivated fields and
orchards. The gentler slopes below the steep
mountainsides are covered in dense birch woods.
The view from Loen westwards is dominated by
Mount Skåla, 1,848 metres, with its
characteristic horseshoe shape. On the summit is
a round stone tower, built by local inhabitants
in 1891, where walkers can seek shelter and stay
the night. There is an annual race up to the
summit and Skåla tower, the record time being 1
hour 9 minutes and 9 seconds for men and 1 hour
21 minutes and 50 seconds for women.
Nature intervened three times in the last
century to reshape the landscape of Lodalen,
twice with loss of human life and enormous
material damage. On 15 January 1905, a large
chunk of the Ramnefjellet mountain directly
above Bødalen loosened and plunged into the
lake, causing a huge tidal wave to crash over
the low-lying farms in Bødal and Nesdal.
Sixty-three people died, which was two-thirds of
the entire population of Lodalen. As well as
smashing all the buildings, the tidal wave threw
a steamship 400 metres up onto land. On 13
September 1936, there was another rockslide from
the same mountain, this time killing 74.
Fortunately, no one was killed by the third
rockslide, in 1950. The Ramnefjellet rockslides
are the biggest in Norwegian history, and even
today the scars on the mountain are clearly
visible. There is a plaque in memory of those
whose bodies were never found, plus an
information board containing historical
documentation and pictures from Ramnefjellet,
Bødal and Nesdal. Just beside the commemorative
plaque is a pilgrim path, or historical trail,
that highlights the dramatic events that have
taken place in Lodalen. This nature trail is
well worth taking in!
We hereby welcome you all
to Loen and Lodalen.
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