Flå is the gateway to Hallingdal - a small village of around 1,100 people where the valley begins to open up. The name comes from Old Norse "flœð" meaning flood, which tells you something about the river here.
The municipality's coat of arms shows a bear's head, and for good reason. To the east lies Vassfaret, a forested wilderness valley that was home to Norway's last native brown bear population. In the 1930s local landowners agreed to protect the bears on their land, making Vassfaret perhaps the only place in southern Norway with bears for several decades. The last one was shot in 1956 at Bukollen, though occasional bears still wander through. The Bjørneparken wildlife park in Flå keeps the bear connection alive - we have a separate entry about it.
Vassfaret inspired several Norwegian authors. Mikkjel Fønhus wrote about the legendary "slagbjørn" (rogue bear) Rugg, based on Norway's longest bear hunt in 1919. A marked trail still leads to the memorial where the bear finally fell.
The valley also has a darker story - in 1906, a 13-year-old shepherd boy named Johan Sagadalen accidentally stumbled onto a sleeping bear and was fatally wounded. A memorial plate marks the spot at Blåfjellhaugene.
During World War II, the Norwegian resistance used Vassfaret as a base. The Germans rarely ventured into this remote area, making it ideal for training and supply drops. A resistance fighter named Per Bruskerud died when he fell through the ice on Aurdalsfjorden while transporting weapons, just weeks before the war ended. The Hallingdalselva river running through Flå is one of Norway's best trout fishing rivers.