Fyksesund Landscape Park is a landscape park in Kvam

Kvam

Kvam is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The parish of Vikør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Parts of Strandebarm were merged with Kvam on 1 January 1965...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It is located around the Fyksesund

Fyksesund

Fyksesund is a sound or fjord in the municipality of Kvam in Hordaland county, Norway. It is spanned by the Fyksesund Bridge, which was opened by Crown Prince Olav in 1937. The Fyksesund Landscape Park is located by the sound....

 fjord, an arm of the Hardangerfjord

Hardangerfjord

With a length of , the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger....

. Fyksesund Landscape Park is one of three landscape parks, coordinated by the organisation Landskapspark Hordaland, in the district of Hardanger

Hardanger

Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord. It consists of the municipalities of Odda, Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik, Granvin, Kvam and Jondal, and is located inside the county of Hordaland....

, the other two being Herand Landscape Park, located on the southern side of the Hardangerfjord, directly opposite from Fyksesund, and Vikebygdkrinsen Landscape Park, north of the town of Odda

Odda

is a municipality and town in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Odda was separated from Ullensvang on 1 July 1913 and on 1 January 1964 Røldal was merged with Odda. The town of Odda is the centre of the landscape of Hardanger, located at the end of the Hardangerfjord.In 1927, Erling Johnson,...

.

The term "landscape park" is defined by Landskapspark Hordaland, which was founded and is funded by the county government of Hordaland

Hordaland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...

, as "unique natural and cultural landscapes, delimited by common culture and identity". According to the organisation, "local communities and businesses are developed together in order to make the areas attractive as places of residence and for visiting".

Fyksesund Landscape Park encompasses several small communities, including Steinstø, Fykse, Klyve, Porsmyr, Rykkje, Flotve and Soldal, with a total population of approximately 400 people. The communities around the inner part of the fjord do not have road connections, and can only be reached by boat or foot.One of the mostly abandoned roadless villages is Botnen, through which a bicycle path runs, known for manufacturing of Hardanger fiddles

Hardingfele

A Hardanger fiddle is a traditional stringed instrument used originally to play the music of Norway. In modern designs, the instruments are very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings and thinner wood...

in past times.