Vanylven
Vanylven is Møre og Romsdal’s fjord-folded heritage basin — a municipality where witches once danced on skerries, olivine glimmers in the bedrock, and a silver triangle curves across the coat of arms. With around 3,000 residents and a landscape shaped by the Vanylvsfjorden, Syvdsfjorden, and the villages of Fiskå, Åheim, Syvde, and Rovde, Vanylven is the kind of place where you can hike past iron mines, explore wartime ruins, and still sip cloudberry cordial beside a farm where goats wear bowties. It’s got minerals, myths, and a name that may stem from *vaðr* — “fishing line.”
Top Attractions
- Hakallegarden – colorful visitor farm with animals, café & NRK fame
- Norsk Olivinsenteret – geology museum with olivine samples & exhibitions
- Peridotplassen – scavenger hunt & mineral-themed play area
- Blåfelden – summit race & hiking trail with panoramic fjord views
- Jetmund Church – 12th-century stone church with Romanesque architecture
Unique Experiences
- Voice of Norway Audio Tour – stories of witch trials, WWII camps & mining uprisings
- Fiskaa Ore Mine – historic iron mine with titanium-rich rock & rebellion lore
- Åram Military Camp – WWII site with ruins, memorials & prisoner history
- Rovdeskjeret – execution skerry where Anne Mogensdatter was burned for witchcraft
- Syvdefjorden Shipwreck – site of Mrs. Inger of Austrått’s tragic 1555 drowning
Places to Stay
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Where to Eat
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Getting There
Vanylven lies at the southern tip of Sunnmøre, bordered by fjords and mountains, with Fiskå as its administrative center. Reach it via E39 and Fv61, or by ferry from Åram. The area is best explored by boots, boat, or bold curiosity — especially if you’re chasing olivine echoes, witch lore, or the hush of sea mist beside a skerry that remembers fire.