- Flåm
Flåm is a Norwegian village with some 500 inhabitants, at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the
Sognefjord . The town is located in the municipality ofAurland , inSogn og Fjordane county,Norway .Name
The name "Flåm" is documented as early as
1340 as "Flaam". It is derived from the plural dative form of theOld Norse word "flá" meaning "plain, flat piece of land", and it refers to the flood plains of the Flåm River. [cite web|title=Farm names in Flåm|url=http://suzuki.websitewelcome.com/~aurland8/index.php?page=farm-names|last=Brekke|first=Arne|accessdaymonth=29 June|accessyear=2008]Transportation
The village of Flåm is a popular tourist destination and has been so since the late 19th century. It currently receives almost 450,000 visitors a year. Most come to enjoy the spectacular 20-kilometer
Flåmsbana railway between Flåm and Myrdal, one of the steepest railway tracks at 1 in 18 (not countingrack railway s) in the world. There are also a few spirals. [cite news|title=Railways Illustrated|date=June 2007|pages=67] A former rail station building in Flåm now houses a museum dedicated to the Flåmsbana railway.The harbour of Flåm receives some 131 [cite web|url=http://www.visitnorway.com/templates/NTRDestinationArticle.aspx?id=172536|title=Key Facts on Flåm|publisher=VisitNorway.com] cruise ships per year, including
RMS Queen Mary 2 .The Rallarvegen road between Flåm and
Finse is popular with bicycle tourists. The E16 road betweenOslo andBergen runs through Flåm.Photo Gallery
External links
* [http://www.visitflam.com/visartikkel.asp?art=254 Flåm webcam]
* [http://www.visitflam.com/ Visit Flåm]References
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