Valestrandsfossen
Village in Osterøy Municipality, Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valestrandsfossen[3] or Valestrandfossen[3][1] is a village in Osterøy Municipality in Vestland county. It lies along the Sørfjorden, just across the fjord from Bergen Municipality and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northeast of the city of Bergen, the second largest city in Norway. Valestrandsfossen lies about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the southwest of the village of Lonevåg, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southeast of the village of Hamre, and about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northwest of the village of Haus.[4]
Valestrandsfossen
Valestrandfossen | |
|---|---|
Village | |
View of the village | |
 Interactive map of Valestrandsfossen | |
| Coordinates: 60.5057°N 5.43276°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Western Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Nordhordland |
| Municipality | Osterøy Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 1,380 |
| • Density | 1,468/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Post Code | 5281 Valestrandsfossen |
Valestrandfossen is the largest settlement on the whole island of Osterøy. The 0.94-square-kilometre (230-acre) village has a population (2025) of 1,380 and a population density of 1,468 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,800/sq mi).[1]
Valestrandsfossen has shops, a gas station, primary school, hairdressers, pubs, and Lerøy Fossen AS which is the world's largest trout smokehouse.[4] Due to its location by the Sørfjorden, it has a regular ferry (the MF Ole Bull) that crosses the fjord to Åsane in Bergen Municipality.[5]
The famous Norwegian violinist and composer Ole Bull had his summer house here. In 1858, he bought a farm in Valestrand. The house was designed during 1865 by his youngest brother, architect Georg Andreas Bull. Ole Bull lived there for a time principally between tours. In 1872, he bought the island of Lysøya in what is now Bjørnafjorden Municipality, south of the city of Bergen which became the primary residence of his family and his newly constructed Villa Lysøen.[6]
MF Ole Bull ferry that runs between the village and Åsane
Ole Bull summer house at Valestrandfossen
