The Lærdal Valley is situated where Norway’s longest fjord, the Sognefjord, reaches its farthest eastern end. It connects to three more branches there: the Lustrafjorden, which goes north, the Årdalsfjorden in the east, and the Lærdalsfjorden, the shortest of all three, which goes south-east. At the end of the latter is the beginning of the Lærdal valley, which stretches all the way to the vicinity of Maristova and the King’s Road (Kongevegen) through the Filefjell Mountains. The valley is often linked to the historic route connecting western Norway to the rest of the country, especially the capital. In the past, when the network of roads and communication connections was not…