Ørnesvingen is the highest hairpin bend on the Ørnevegen, the Eagle Road. The road climbs 620 metres through 11 hairpin bends from Geiranger up towards Eidsdal.
This road was opened on the 15th of September 1955, and it was a big deal. Before that, Geiranger had no year-round road connection. In winter, the village was only reachable by boat or over the high mountain pass towards Grotli, which was closed for months. The Eagle Road finally ended that isolation. It got its name because this high section was traditionally eagle territory.
From the viewpoint you look straight down the Geirangerfjord. On the opposite side you can see the Seven Sisters waterfall, seven separate streams falling side by side. Just to the right of the waterfall is Knivsflå, an abandoned mountain farm about 250 metres above the water. People lived there from the 1600s until 1899. Children played outside tied to ropes so they would not fall into the fjord. When the tax collector came, the farmers at the neighbouring farm Skageflå pulled up the ladders so he could not reach them.
The viewing platform was designed by 3RW Arkitekter and opened in 2006 as part of the National Tourist Routes programme. Parking is very limited, so if the tour buses are there, you may have to wait.
This road was opened on the 15th of September 1955, and it was a big deal. Before that, Geiranger had no year-round road connection. In winter, the village was only reachable by boat or over the high mountain pass towards Grotli, which was closed for months. The Eagle Road finally ended that isolation. It got its name because this high section was traditionally eagle territory.
From the viewpoint you look straight down the Geirangerfjord. On the opposite side you can see the Seven Sisters waterfall, seven separate streams falling side by side. Just to the right of the waterfall is Knivsflå, an abandoned mountain farm about 250 metres above the water. People lived there from the 1600s until 1899. Children played outside tied to ropes so they would not fall into the fjord. When the tax collector came, the farmers at the neighbouring farm Skageflå pulled up the ladders so he could not reach them.
The viewing platform was designed by 3RW Arkitekter and opened in 2006 as part of the National Tourist Routes programme. Parking is very limited, so if the tour buses are there, you may have to wait.