History of Flåm Valley

Through two thousand years, farming has been the most important and virtually the only livelihood in Flåm Valley. Cattle was mainly the only livestock, but a shift towards more sheep and goats came at the end of 1800s. There’s been mountain summer farms from the early ages, as there weren’t enough pastures for the animals down in Flåm Valley. Livestock was herded up to spring pastures and further on to mountain pastures and farms. There were long days on the mountain farms, hard work and a lot of responsibility. These weeks accounted for the main income of the farms, with the production of butter and cheese. 1/3 of Aurland's inhabitants emigrated to America and the loss of manpower, had major consequences for those who remained. Ways of agriculture had to be restructured and new machinery and tools were put into use. Hunting and fishing in the mountains and on the fjord, were extra income for the farms, as well as food for their own household. For the farms bordering the Flåm River, fishing for salmon and sea trout was also food on the table. When foreign anglers arrived in the summer months in the mid to late 1800s, this fishing gained a greater economic value for the river owners. This was the basis for today's tourism and the history of Flåm and Fretheim Hotel has had up to the present day.