Fyksesund Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in Northern Europe when it opened on 9 October 1937. Crown Prince Olav came to cut the ribbon. The main span is 230 metres and the bridge is 344 metres in total.
What makes this bridge historically significant is what happened shortly after it opened. Engineers noticed the deck was moving in the wind in ways it shouldn't. They had encountered aerodynamic flutter - the same phenomenon that would famously destroy the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State three years later. The Norwegians were luckier. They managed to fix the problem with structural improvements installed in 1945, and the bridge is still standing today.
Despite being nearly 90 years old and carrying traffic on one of Hardanger's main roads, the bridge still has only one lane. Traffic is controlled by lights at each end, so you may have to wait your turn.
The bridge was designed by Olaf Stang, who was Norway's chief bridge engineer from 1920 to 1939. The steel structures were manufactured in Oslo and shipped here by water.
It remained Norway's longest suspension bridge until the Varodd Bridge opened in 1956.