Vossavangen

History

According to legend, the people of Voss were forcibly converted to Christianity by King Olav, who later became St. Olav. A stone cross situated in Vossevangen is said to have been erected at this time. The town contains the stone Voss Church from 1277, with a 16th-century eccentric, octagonal steeple. Just outside the village is Finnesloftet, a wooden guildhall believed to be the oldest profane (non-sacred) wooden building in Northern Europe. After the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Voss was the main point of mobilisation for the Norwegian Army in the west, as the city of Bergen had already fallen on the first day of the invasion. Although most of the troops mobilised here were transferred by railway to the fighting in the east of the country, the German forces, advancing towards Voss along the railway line from Bergen and from the Hardangerfjord, were met with stiff resistance. In Hardanger (to the south), some of the Germans climbed up the mountains from Ålvik while the rest went through Granvin. To break down this resistance, the village of Vossavangen was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 24 and 25 April 1940. About a dozen civilians lost their lives in the bombing which completely destroyed the old wood-built town centre. On 26 April, the German forces entered the village, which remained occupied until 8 May 1945. Today, Voss is an important communications and trade centre for Western Norway. Voss centre is cosy, with a multitude of small shops. The AMFI Voss is located in the centre of Voss and is a modern shopping centre with over 30 shops. The three large hotels Scandic Voss, Fleischers Hotel and Park Hotel Vossevangen are all located in the town. Fleischers Hotel is the main historic hotel in Voss. The hotel was completed in 1889 in the Swiss style.…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  605
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  504
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  463
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  403
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  403
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  402
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  372
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  363

Most recent

• M 4 — 2017-11-07
  20 km WSW of Manger, Norway
• M 2.5 — 2004-11-01
  15 km SW of Manger, Norway