An article on us.firenews.video - The Aksla quarry in Western Norway gets the green light – fears of rock carvings in the vicinity – NRK Vestland - reports on the decision made by government authorities on February 5th regarding the quarry and shipping port in Frøysjøen. Opposition to this announcement is based on the fact that the establishment of a quarry and the associated industrial activities in this region will have profound negative implications for cultural heritage in Frøysjøen, particularly affecting the rock art site Vingen — one of the most authentic rock art areas in Europe.

The rock art site of Vingen in Western Norway and its surrounding landscape. Image: Trond Lødøen, Associate Professor, Research Section, University Museum of Bergen.

The Ministry of Local Government and Districts has approved a new one quarry on top of the mountain peak Aksla, despite concern expressed by the National Antiquities Office regarding the damage to the cultural heritage, and protests from both the Norwegian Environmental Protection Association and the Historical Heritage Association.

The planning area is located on the Dyrstad peninsula outside Svelgen in Bremanger municipality, which is already home to several industrial enterprises. In addition to the quarry, there are plans for a shipping quay and a crushing plant. Vingen is the nearby petroglyph field, the second largest rock carving field in Norway and one of the largest in Northern Europe, with over 2,000 figures. Trond Andreas Klungseth Lødøen is Associate Professor at the Department of Cultural History at the University of Bergen. He has been involved in the case for over several years, and reacts strongly to the decision: 'It is despairing. To me it is completely absurd. It’s not real.'

Truls Gulowsen, leader of the Nature Conservation Association, states 'We are disappointed that the government chooses to ignore crystal clear objections, and wonder what more is actually needed to protect valuable coastal rainforest and ancient petroglyphs from destruction.'

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