Finse

Finse
Locality
View of Finse in summer
View of Finse in summer
Finse is located in Vestland
Finse
Finse
Location of the village
Finse is located in Norway
Finse
Finse
Finse (Norway)
Coordinates: 60°36′06″N 07°30′14″E / 60.60167°N 7.50389°E / 60.60167; 7.50389
CountryNorway
RegionWestern Norway
CountyVestland
DistrictHardanger
MunicipalityUlvik
Elevation1,222 m (4,009 ft)
Population
 • Total10
 Population of basic statistical unit Finse-Hallingskeid
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
5719 Finse

Finse is a locality in the mountainous north-east of Ulvik municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Located on lake Finsevatnet, it is centered around Finse station, a railway station on the Bergen Line, which is the highest station of the Norwegian railway system at an elevation of 1,222 metres (4,009 ft) above sea level. As it is not reachable by road, and as the municipality is not otherwise connected by rail, Finse is not easily accessible from the rest of Ulvik or from elsewhere in the Hardanger region. According to Statistics Norway, the basic statistical unit of Finse-Hallingskeid, which includes several other nearby localities such as Hallingskeid station, had a population of 10 in 2023.[2]

In winter, Finse is a popular destination for cross-country skiing and other winter sports, while during summer it is a popular start point for hiking and bicycling trips. Tourist facilities include a hotel (Finse 1222), a hostel (Finsehytta) operated by the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT), as well as a number of private cabins.[3] Just west of Finse station, the railway passes through the Finse Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the Bergen Line. When opened, the tunnel replaced a section of rail that was frequently blocked by snow and difficult to clear, causing delays and cancellations on the railway. According to the BBC, explorers Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton all trained for their expeditions at Finse.[4]

  1. ^ "Finse, Ulvik" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b "04317: Befolkning, etter grunnkrets, statistikkvariabel og år". Statistics Norway. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  3. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Finse" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  4. ^ "The search for a new Earth". BBC. Retrieved 14 September 2017.