Hike Hereid

Welcome to the beautiful village of Eidfjord innermost in the Hardangerfjord, which connects perhaps Norway's most beautiful natural destinations, the Hardangervidda plateau, the Hardangerjøkulen glacier, the Sysendalen valley, the Vøringsfossen waterfall and the Måbødalen valley, the Eio river and the Hardangerfjord. Here is the Hæreidterrace, the large glacial deposit about 100 meters above sea level, a unique landscape area with great value in terms of geology, botany and cultural history. The burial field on the Hæreidterrace with its more than 400 burial mounds is among the largest burial grounds from the Iron Age that exist in Norway, perhaps it is even the largest Iron Age burial field in the country! The individual burial fields on the Hæreidterrace are considered to be some of the most valuable from the Norwegian Iron Age. The findings from Hæreid are today stored at the University Museum in Bergen. Although early in the Iron Age there was good contact with the outside world, it was only in the Viking Age that we got a real upswing; within Norway, but also in relation to the Continent and the islands north of Scotland. This may have several reasons, but there are many indications that the population increase was large in this period. Inland, areas that had previously been of little use were now put to use. Abroad, there was either peaceful colonization or pure plundering. Not least, the Viking raids to the British Isles and to the Continent are well documented, both through written sources and through archaeological material. The Irish ring spanner from the 9th century found at Lægreid most likely came to the village after such a plundering raid abroad. The people of the Hardangerfjord did not live in isolation, but certainly took part in the major events that took place during the Viking Age. Would you like to hear more about the burial grounds in Eidfjord? Join us on a tour with an audio guide!