Skjolden

Skjolden is a village in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Lustrafjorden, a branch of the Sognefjorden. Skjolden is located at the innermost point of the Sognefjorden (Norway's longest fjord). The length of the Sognefjorden is over 200 kilometres (120 mi) and it is measured from Skjolden to the island of Ytre Sula where the fjord meets the ocean. The valleys of Mørkridsdal and Fortunsdal meet at Skjolden, just west of the Hurrungane mountains. The 0.51-square-kilometre (130-acre) village has a population (2025) of 238 and a population density of 467 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,210/sq mi). The village is located along the Sognefjellsvegen road, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the lake Prestesteinsvatnet and the mountain Fannaråki. Skjolden is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of the village of Gaupne and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of the village of Hafslo. North of the village is Breheimen National Park, home of the glaciers Harbardsbreen and Spørteggbreen and the mountain Tverrådalskyrkja. The village was home to philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein who lived here after 1913 during some periods of his life; the longest one was 13 months.