Ullensvang

Ullensvang lies on the eastern shore of Sørfjord in Hardanger, beneath steep mountains and above the sheltered water. Its stone church at Lofthus was built in the second half of the thirteenth century, a substantial building for the farms along the fjord. Nearby Opedal was a farm belonging to the Cistercian monastery of Lyse, whose monks were present there in the Middle Ages. Orchards became a lasting feature of the slopes, adding fruit growing to the district's agricultural life.