Hardangervidda National Park (Norwegian: Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at 3,422 square kilometers, is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau (Hardangervidda). Designated as a national park in 1981, today it serves as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) maintains a comprehensive network of huts and paths across Hardangervidda. The Bergensbanen railway line and the main Highway 7 cross the plateau.
It has the southernmost stock of several arctic animals and plants. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world.
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 is the Nordmannsslepa linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal.
The name Hardangervidda is put together by the name of the district Hardanger and the finite form of vidde, 'wide plain, large mountain plateau'.
Read more about Hardangervidda National Park: Geography and Geology, Flora and Fauna, Visitor Centres, Human Settlement, Activities
Famous quotes containing the words national and/or park:
“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”
—Thomas Paine (1737–1809)
“The park is filled with night and fog,
The veils are drawn about the world,”
—Sara Teasdale (1884–1933)