Toka Gorge

The or is a river gorge in Kvam Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The gorge lies west of the village of Norheimsund along the Norwegian [County Road 49].

History

The gorge is traversed by Norwegian [County Road 49], which was laid out around 1890, started being built in 1903, and it was opened in 1907. Large parts of the road were built by hand while workers hung on ropes against the sheer mountainside. A new route with four tunnels was built between 1953 and 1956. In 2009 the Norwegian [Directorate for Cultural Heritage] protected the old road as part of the National [Protection Plan for Roads, Bridges, and Road-Related Cultural Heritage].

Name

The name Tokagjelet comes from Old Norse word, the plural of which means 'grip' or 'hold' plus the definite form of the word which means 'gorge' or 'ravine'.