In July, Bremanger municipality gave permission to start the construction of a via ferrata (Italian for “railway”) up what is called “Europe’s highest sea cliff”, Hornelen in Nordfjord. Among those who reacted to the decision was adventurer Stein P. Aasheim, who called the trail a “vulgar tivification of Norwegian mountains”. At the top, the sketch for a 250-metre-long security fence is particularly subject to debate. – This is a circus initiative that we should have been spared, said the president of the Norwegian Climbing Association, Stein Tronstad. Now the State Administrator in Vestland demands that the construction work be stopped. Hornelen is a well-known landmark that rises steeply from the sea and reaches up to 860 meters above sea level. Photo: Mats Grimsæth – A clear case handling error The background is “unsettled questions” about whether the municipality has assessed whether the measures on the mountain are in accordance with the zoning plan. – A clear case handling error, says Nils Erling Yndesdal at the State Administrator to the newspaper Firdaposten. He adds that the effects of fences, paths, gaping holes, boardwalks, bridges and resting places will affect the natural values in the area, and that these “are to a small extent informed and assessed”. He says to news: – The important thing here is that there is dialogue between the municipal administration and the State Administrator to find a solution. We therefore hope that the matter will be resolved locally without the need for the involvement of a state administrator. Mountain guide and tinder operator Sigurd Felde writes on Facebook that he is happy about the development in the case. – We hope that reason prevails, and that this project, which should never have been started, is stopped, he writes. Hornelen is located in Bremanger municipality, which will own but not operate the facility. – Fences, paths, gaps, boardwalks, bridges and rest areas can collectively have a major impact on natural values, says Nils Erling Yndesdal at the State Administrator. Photo: The state administrator in Vestland – Must be a misunderstanding Mayor of the municipality, Anne Kristin Førde (Ap), replies that the latest signals from the state administrator must be based on “a misunderstanding”. She refers to “several meetings” with the state administrator, in June at the latest. – We encountered no objections then. We cannot see that they have the will to stop the work, and therefore let the developer continue the work as planned, she says to Firdaposten. To news, she adds that the municipality has sent a letter to the State Administrator and that she “hopes that the answer can contribute to us being reconciled with the plans that are here”. – Must make sure to create “a reason to go” In a public meeting this summer, municipal director Tom Joensen explained that the municipal costs (NOK 7 million) are part of the strategy to increase investment in tourism as a source of income. – It must be attractive to visit Bremanger. We must make sure to create “a reason to go”, he said. The background for the meeting was the criticism that had been raised against the project, including from the Nordfjord Climbing Club, who referred to the project as “a mistake”. “We understand the desire for activity. Nevertheless, we would like the initiators to examine how this project would fit into the Norwegian climbing tradition”, they write in a reader’s entry in Fjordenes Tidende. Claims about entertainment and “Disneyification” of Norwegian nature have previously been made in connection with construction projects at Vettisfossen, Vøringsfossen (see video below), Andersnatten and Nesaksla.
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The state will stop the climbing path on an iconic Norwegian mountain – news Vestland
