Fossen Bratte

Norheimsund, Hordaland County, Norway

About Fossen Bratte

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Fossen Bratte (pronounced “BRAH-tuh” meaning “steep”) was a pretty waterfall that we targeted on a visit to Steinsdalsfossen and the charming city of Bergen (since it sat in between them).

I tend to think of this roughly 80m waterfall as the “love and war” waterfall.

Fossen_Bratte_079_06262019 - Fossen Bratte
Fossen Bratte

That was because we found two memorials at Fossen Bratte – a war memorial as well as a French lover’s memorial.

Both of them spoke of tragedies that occurred here (albeit under completely different circumstances).

In any case, we had to go on two separate paths for Fossen Bratte to visit both of the memorials, which we’re going to get into right now.

The Bottom of Fossen Bratte and the French Lovers’ Memorial

The most obvious way to experience Fossen Bratte from the long pullout (see directions below) was from a path descending towards its base.

Fossen_Bratte_128_06262019 - Context of the Fossen Bratte Tunnel, the WC, and the two trails on either side of the WC with Fossen Bratte itself to the far right on this picture
Context of the Fossen Bratte Tunnel, the WC, and the two trails on either side of the WC with Fossen Bratte itself to the far right on this picture

We could see the waterfall pretty much the entire way from the pullout all the way down its walk, which further made this way the obvious choice.

That lower path started its descent from behind a WC building near the Fossenbrattetunnelen.

Barely a few minutes into the descent, we reached some kind of pillar with a plaque on it.

The plaque was in French, and it talked about a honeymooning couple in 1951 that managed to drive their car off the top of this waterfall.

Fossen_Bratte_089_06262019 - The French Lovers' Memorial, where the plaque was badly faded when I last saw it in late June 2019
The French Lovers’ Memorial, where the plaque was badly faded when I last saw it in late June 2019

Apparently, I’ve noticed in the literature that sometimes this waterfall would also go by the name of the Bridal Veil (or Brudesløret), which was another acknowledgement of the honeymooners who died here.

During our 2019 visit, it seemed like the sign was severely faded so it was hard to make out what else it was saying.

In any case, a few more minutes further down the trail, we then reached a jumble of boulders wet from the spray of Fossen Bratte.

This was our turnaround point as the road appeared to continue past a bridge fronting the waterfall and towards some farms in this valley.

Fossen_Bratte_091_06262019 - Approaching the very base of Fossen Bratte, with someone already down there to provide a sense of scale
Approaching the very base of Fossen Bratte, with someone already down there to provide a sense of scale

The time it would take to get down and back up again would probably be on the order of 15-30 minutes, I’d say.

The Top of Fossen Bratte and the War Memorial

From the WC by the Fossenbrattetunnelen, there was another path that seemed to lead along an older road that bypassed the tunnel.

It was probably the main route before the completion of the tunnel.

In any case, this slightly uphill path allowed me to get unusual top down views of Fossen Bratte.

Fossen_Bratte_036_06262019 - Profile view of Fossen Bratte showing how steep it was as I made my way up to the war memorial at its brink
Profile view of Fossen Bratte showing how steep it was as I made my way up to the war memorial at its brink

While I viewed the falls in profile, I could test just how “steep” the falls was, which turned out to not be all that vertical as you can see in the picture above.

Eventually, the road led me to the very top of the waterfall, where there was a cannon as well as a memorial as well as some interpretive signage.

The memorial commemorated the Norwegians who lost their lives here in an attempt to halt the German advance during their invasion of Norway back in April 1940.

The idea of the operation was that the Norwegian fighters would try to hold off the Germans as help would arrive from Allied Forces.

Fossen_Bratte_050_06262019 - A cannon situated at the brink of Fossen Bratte, which was next to some signage and a war memorial
A cannon situated at the brink of Fossen Bratte, which was next to some signage and a war memorial

Even though the Norwegian fighters positioned themselves strategically at the top of Fossen Bratte, the Norwegian fighters were composed of a combination of volunteers and soldiers.

When help didn’t materialize, the Norwegian fighters at Fossen Bratte were overwhelmed by the German forces.

After having my fill of the views and reflecting on what happened here during World War II, I returned to the WC to conclude this part of the out-and-back excursion.

It took me about 30 minutes to fully experience Fossen Bratte in this manner.

Other Waterfalls near Fossen Bratte

It turned that we spotted an attractive roadside cascade about 3km to the west of Fossen Bratte on the Motorvei (Mv) 7.

Rv_7_004_jx_06262005 - Attractive cascade roughly 3km west of Fossen Bratte
Attractive cascade roughly 3km west of Fossen Bratte

Unfortunately, we don’t know what that waterfall was called.

From looking at the maps, it quite possibly could be on the Mørkhølen Stream.

Around that waterfall, during our first visit to the area in 2005, we spotted an area to pull over and get a good view of it, which you can see in the photo above.

However, when we returned in 2019, we didn’t quite find this waterfall again, and we quite possibly zoomed past it.

Authorities

Fossen Bratte resides near Eikedalen in the Samnanger Municipality of Hordaland County, Norway. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or their Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: steinsdalsfossen, trengereid, norheimsund, kvam, bergen, hordaland, hardanger, voss, vossevangen, norway, waterfall



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

Fossen Bratte Corrections August 19, 2012 7:17 pm by Rev Ignatius Pop - The fall is actually called Fossed Bratte (not bråtte) and does indeed mean steep waterfall. The memorial on the path down to the bottom of the falls is actually for a young French couple, Rene and Ginette Laigle, who died when their car came off the road at the falls when they were on their… ...Read More

Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.