The Nærøyfjord (or Nærøyfjorden, ) is a fjord in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is a branch of the Aurlandsfjord, itself a branch of the Sognefjord. The fjord is about long, and at its narrowest point it is about wide.
The fjord is surrounded by steep mountains that rise to about above sea level. The village of Gudvangen lies at the inner end of the fjord, where the river Nærøydalselvi enters the fjord from the valley of Nærøydalen.
According to older topographical descriptions, the fjord is very shallow at the narrow passage near Bakka, but becomes deeper farther inward. In cold winters, the fjord has occasionally frozen over. Such cases were recorded in the 1920s and in 1962, when scheduled boats were unable to enter the fjord and instead had to navigate along the ice edge.
Geology
Nærøyfjord was formed by glacial erosion during the Quaternary ice ages. Large glaciers carved deep and narrow valleys into the bedrock; after the ice retreated, these valleys were inundated by seawater, creating the fjords seen today.
The protected area around Nærøyfjord includes the Nærøyfjorden landscape protection area and a number of associated nature reserves in the municipalities of Aurland, Voss, Vik, and Lærdal.
Scholarly work on UNESCO management has noted that the West Norwegian Fjords, including Nærøyfjord, are primarily framed internationally as a nature and landscape heritage site rather than as a cultural heritage site. The same research also notes that, unlike some transboundary marine World Heritage properties, the site is managed by a single state, Norway, which simplifies coordination of management measures.
Ecology
The Nærøyfjord area forms part of a well-preserved ecosystem ranging from fjord waters to alpine mountain environments.
The main access points are Gudvangen and Flåm.
Cultural significance
Nærøyfjord's landscape has long attracted travellers, scientists, and artists, and has become one of the emblematic fjord landscapes of Norway.
History of study
Descriptions of Nærøyfjord and the surrounding landscape appeared in Norwegian topographical and statistical works in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the early detailed printed accounts was published by Amund Helland in the Norges land og folk series.