Austmannalia

‘Austmannalia’ is a mountain side along road E134 north of the small town Røldal in Ullensvang municipality, Vestland county.

The road in question is a short stretch of only 1,3 km. It’s called ‘Austmannalia Tourist Road’ and is where the road Haukelivegen was built on the mountain side in 1880. Today, however, this short piece of road is replaced by a nearby turning tunnel on road E134. The four remaining hairpin turns has been protected as a cultural monument, but the road is only open during summer.

Named after easterner travelers

The name originates from travelers in ancient times: ‘Austmanna’ refers to the easterners (austlendingane) coming over the mountain.

Austmannalia might not deserve much attention if it only was these four hairpins that took you off the beaten track, but it is not. If you plan a route along road E134, you should combine Austmannalia with the sections of old Haukeli Road that is still available for motorized vehicles; for example Dyrskar Tourist Road. Its in the same area and Austmannalia, Dyrskar and a nameless section are available within 15 km along E134. But most importantly, you can replace boring tunnels along boring E134 with some historic roads and MUCH better views! 🙂

Check out in the area

Other sites and roads you should consider while in the area, is Røldal stave church, Norwegian scenic route Ryfylke (which is my favorite), Norwegian scenic route Hardanger, and Myllargutvegen.