Preikestolen

Preikestolen is a mountain formed like a huge pulpit towering over the Lysefjord in Rogaland, Fjord Norway. There is a crack between the plateau of Pulpit Rock and the mountain, and it is said that on the day seven sisters marry seven brothers from the Lysefjord area, the plateau will tear itself away from the mountain and fall into the fjord, creating a huge wave that will destroy all life in the surrounding area. You've been warned. There is a well prepared track from Preikestolen Mountain Lodge to the top of the 604-metre-high mountain plateau. Expect to spend four-five hours hiking from the lodge to the top and back down, and allow an hour or two to spend on the plateau. 

The tourism at the site has been increasing, around 2012, the plateau was each year visited by between 150,000 and 200,000 people who took the 3.8 km (2.4 mi.) hike to Preikestolen, making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway. In fact, there were so many tourists during the summer season of 2012 that a project to improve the path up to the cliff is currently under way.

The old local name of the natural attraction is Hyvlatonnå (English: Planned Tooth). The name Prekestolen (without i) is a newer invention, around the year 1900 the lokal tourist organisation, Stavanger Turistforening wanted to promote the place for trekking and thus gave the place a more telling name. It has later on been adapted by the local community, and since the official form of Norwegian in the area is Nynorsk, the ihas been added, hence the official name is now Preikestolen.

In early April 2013, a project started to improve the path up to Preikestolen as the old one is so small that it often causes "delays", and at some points on the path its sometimes impossible to get through. The new path is expected to be completed during the Autumn of 2013 or early 2014.

Posted in: Norway