Varaldsøy

Varaldsøy is the largest island in the Hardangerfjord, covering 45 square kilometres. Today around 180 people live here, mostly in the village at the southern tip. A century ago, four times as many called the island home. The island's most dramatic chapter began in 1866 when a British mining company discovered pyrite ore at Valaheia. At its peak the mines produced 16,000 tonnes per year, and at least nine shafts and prospect pits were sunk across the island. Falling prices killed the boom before the century was out. A brief revival during World War I extracted another 6,000 tonnes, but after that the mines fell silent for good. The ore is still there, rusting the streams a reddish brown along the old mining roads. The island was important enough to become its own municipality in 1902, split off from Strandebarm. It lasted until the nationwide municipal mergers of 1965, when Varaldsøy was absorbed into Kvinnherad. The church parish is older still, with records going back to 1337. The original building was a 13th-century stave church; the current white wooden church dates from 1885. At one point the Hardangerfjord express boat service was extended to Varaldsøy on a trial basis, but ridership was so low the stop was quietly dropped. The island remains connected by the Gjermundshamn-Varaldsøy-Årsnes car ferry, which runs about 30 departures a day.