Sunndalsøra sits at the head of Sunndalsfjorden, flanked by steep mountains on three sides. It is a company town built around one thing: aluminium. Hydro Sunndal is the largest primary aluminium smelter in Europe, with a capacity of 390,000 tonnes per year. Construction began in 1913 with the power plant; the smelter itself started production in 1954. Most of the local economy is linked to the plant.
But the valley had visitors long before industry arrived. From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, wealthy British sportsmen came to Sunndal for the salmon fishing. They leased entire rivers and built lodges, becoming known as the "salmon lords." The most famous was Barbara Arbuthnott, whose dramatic life in the valley became legendary. The Sunndal rural museum at Leikvin tells this story in its main exhibition.
Sunndalsøra is also the gateway to Innerdalen, often called Norway's most beautiful mountain valley. The Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park lies to the south, home to Norway's last wild musk oxen.
But the valley had visitors long before industry arrived. From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, wealthy British sportsmen came to Sunndal for the salmon fishing. They leased entire rivers and built lodges, becoming known as the "salmon lords." The most famous was Barbara Arbuthnott, whose dramatic life in the valley became legendary. The Sunndal rural museum at Leikvin tells this story in its main exhibition.
Sunndalsøra is also the gateway to Innerdalen, often called Norway's most beautiful mountain valley. The Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park lies to the south, home to Norway's last wild musk oxen.