The Verdal landslide view point

In Leirådalen, at Jermstad, there is a viewpoint with information boards that tell the story of the Verdalsraset. Here, visitors can reflect on the tragedy and learn more about this fateful day.

On May 19, 1893, Norway and Verdal were struck by a disaster that would go down in history as the Verdalsraset. This enormous landslide is the largest of its kind in the country's recorded history.

The Scope:

The Verdalsraset covered an area of 3 square kilometers. An incredible 55 million cubic meters of material slid out, burying an area of 9 square kilometers. The destruction of land and property was on an unimaginable scale.

Casualties:

In terms of fatalities, only one other landslide in Norway has claimed more lives – a landslide in Gauldalen in 1345. The Verdalsraset took 116 lives, with many victims in their deepest sleep when the disaster struck. They were completely at the mercy of the unleashed natural forces.

Doomsday Feeling:

For those who experienced it, it felt like doomsday. The landslide struck so unexpectedly that people, in their deepest sleep, had no time to prepare. Nature's merciless power was on full display, transforming Verdal in an instant.

The information board features a verse from the author Bjarne Slapgard's "Verdalssongen":

"Our gentle spring night between the hills dreamed,

the seeds lived in fertile soil.

Night winds flowed over the fields,

spring flowers swayed on well-cultivated meadows.

Unexpectedly, cries arose from the depths,

the death knell swung its mighty clapper.

Homes disappeared in the gray abyss.

Death gathered in one hundred and twelve."

There is another view point and memorial stoen for the Verdalsraset landslide - Lysthaugen Minnelund