Lærdal

Lærdal linked the inner Sognefjord with the routes across the mountains into eastern Norway. At Lærdalsøyri, the meeting of fjord transport and the inland road made a natural place for exchange. Farmers and merchants maintained boathouses and waterfront stores where goods could pass between boats and overland travellers.

The market is documented in 1596, when an order prescribed that it should last eight days and begin eight days after Michaelmas, the feast of 29 September. It had succeeded the medieval market at Kaupanger, although the exact date of the transfer is uncertain. People arriving from the coast met travellers from Valdres, Hallingdal, Sogn and northern Gudbrandsdal. The market brought these otherwise separated districts together at the head of the fjord, turning Lærdal's geographical position into a recurring commercial gathering.