Country Norway County Sogn og Fjordane Municipality Lærdal Elevation 1 m Population 1,120 (2013) | Region Western Norway District Sogn Time zone CET (UTC+01:00) Area 103 ha Local time Wednesday 9:50 PM | |
Weather 5°C, Wind W at 31 km/h, 82% Humidity | ||
Lærdalsøyri is the administrative centre of the municipality of Lærdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located along the Lærdalselvi river where it empties into the Lærdalsfjorden, a branch off of the main Sognefjorden. The village is located about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of the village of Tønjum at the east end of the Lærdal Tunnel which is part of the European route E16 highway. It sits about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of the village of Borgund and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) across the fjord from the village of Kaupanger in Sogndal Municipality. The 1.03-square-kilometre (250-acre) village has a population (2013) of 1,120; giving the village a population density of 1,087 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,820/sq mi). Hauge Church is located in the village, and serves as the main church for the parish.
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Map of 6887 L%C3%A6rdals%C3%B8yri, Norway
Name
The name Lærdalsøyri is derived from the local river which flows through the village. The first element is the genitive case of the old name of the river Lærr (now the river is called Lærdalselvi) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale." The meaning of the old river name is unknown. The last element -øyri is the finite form of øyr which means "sandbank"; it is similar to the word ayre which is used in Scotland and Orkney.
History
Today, the picturesque village is mostly a tourist area, but there are some small industries. It is listed as a national "heritage village" and tourists come to see the old city center with its 161 well-preserved wooden houses that date from 1700-1800. Old Lærdalsøyri used to be an important trading port between east and west in Norway. It is located near the head of Sognefjord, one of the longest fjords in Norway, which meant sea-going ships could carry goods deep inland before landing them at the village for the over-land journey into eastern Norway.
Historically, several of the County Governors of Nordre Bergenhus lived in Lærdalsøyri while in office including Christian Ulrik Kastrup, Michael Conrad Sophus Emil Aubert, and Johan Collett Falsen.
January 2014 fire
At 22:56 on 18 January 2014, local fire departments were alerted to a fire in a residence on the road Kyrkjegata. The fire quickly spread due to strong eastern winds fanning the flames towards the town center. The fire spread to a nearby forest, and threatened the Old Lærdalsøyri heritage area. The town was evacuated at 00:30, with residents being evacuated to a hotel in Aurland. By 4 a.m., over thirty houses were reported to be in flames.
More than 100 firefighters from various regional fire departments were involved in putting out the fire. At 4:40 in the morning, firefighters and equipment from Haukåsen airport in Sogndal were called out to assist. At 5:25 a Westland Sea King arrived with 5 firefighters from the town of Florø. The Norwegian Civil Defence participated with 60 personnel.
Around 9:40 on Sunday morning, two Bell 412 from Royal Norwegian Air Force arrived to participate in the firefighting. Soldiers from the Norwegian Home Guard were also called in to secure the perimeter. The fire caused a loss of power and cellular network, and it limited communication to VHF radios and satellite phones.