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VOICES OF THE FJORDS - The Mayor Who Marries People Where the Fjord Meets the Sky
VOICES OF THE FJORDS - The Mayor Who Marries People Where the Fjord Meets the Sky
A Fjord Norway Local Heroes Story — Interview with Roald Aga Haug, Mayor of Ullensvang
Season 1 - Episode 2 Roald Aga Haug
He has been mayor of Ullensvang for over eleven years — but what sets Roald Aga Haug apart is not his title, it's his thinking. Since 2021 he has been officiating weddings on Trolltunga, on glaciers and on ancient farmland. Couples are now travelling from across the world to say yes in Hardanger. This interview offers a first taste of a story worth telling — and a region worth visiting.
Roald Aga Haug been a politician since 2003 and mayor for over eleven years. He grew up in Hardanger, knows every fjord, every mountain trail and every local face. But Roald Aga Haug is not your typical mayor. On a midsummer day in 2021, he stood on the edge of Trolltunga — 700 metres above the glacial lake Ringedalsvatnet — and married a Danish couple in front of a TV camera, with clouds rolling in and the wind picking up. It was, by any measure, an unusual way to do the job. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
Roald, where did the idea come from? Was there a single moment when you thought — we should actually do this?
It came gradually, honestly. When Norway changed its legislation in 2017 and local municipalities took over the responsibility for civil ceremonies, I was among the very few mayors who immediately saw this as an opportunity rather than just an administrative change. I remember sitting on the steps of a church building in Brussels when a radio program called me — Kommunal Rapport — and asked three mayors for their views. I was the only one who was genuinely positive and excited. The others were cautious. I further then discussed with my collagues: we have some of the most spectacular nature in the world right on our doorstep. If people get married at Niagara Falls, why not here?
And then came the first wedding at Trolltunga in 2021. What do you remember about that day?
Everything. The weather was not ideal — as often happens up there — but four of the six couples who had signed up actually made the hike. That alone says something about the people who choose this. The walk takes four to six hours one way, and you do it together, as a couple, before you even get to say your vows. A Danish couple were the very first, and Norwegian television filmed and broadcast the ceremony on midsummer day. The catering, the atmosphere, the setting — it was like something out of a fairy tale. I stood there as mayor and officiant, but honestly, as a human being first. You feel very small up there. And the moment feels very big.
You have now officiated around 40 weddings. Is there one that has stayed with you?
They have all been special in their own way — that is not just something I say. But a few stand out. One ceremony took place completely inside a magical blanket of fog. You could barely see ten metres ahead. It sounds dramatic, but it was actually incredibly beautiful and intimate — as if the mountain had closed around them. And then there were two young women from Chile, South America, who had travelled all this way to say yes to each other on a Norwegian cliff. That meant something. It said that this place, and what we are doing here, reaches people on a very deep level.
Some people must have thought it was a crazy idea at first. Were there doubts?
Of course — including from myself and within the municipality. Getting married on a cliff or a glacier is not exactly traditional Norwegian culture. But I have always believed in saying yes to new ideas and supporting private initiatives that are good for people and good for the region. That is my job as mayor. You need both types — the cautious ones and the optimistic ones. But someone has to take the first step. I prefer to be that person.
What does this say about Hardanger and Ullensvang — beyond just being beautiful?
The Hardangerfjord and the landscapes around it have inspired painters, writers and travellers for centuries. This region carries part of the Norwegian national soul. We have two national parks, glaciers, fjords, orchards, waterfalls and a culture that goes back athousand years — the Hardanger fiddle, the traditional bunad, the local food and cider.
When I started calling Ullensvang the Outdoor Capital of Norway, it was not just marketing phrase. It was a statement of identity. We are bold, proud of where we come from, and we like to show it. These weddings are a very natural expression of that.
You have now expanded to Folgefonna glacier and the historic farm of Agatunet. How does that change the story?
It deepens it. Trolltunga is raw and iconic — you earn it with your legs and your lungs. Folgefonna is otherworldly, almost surreal — deep blue ice and absolute silence. Agatunet is something else entirely: a medieval farm settlement with centuries of life in its walls.
Each location speaks to a different couple, a different wish. Together they give us something rare — a real portfolio of extraordinary places where people can mark the most important day of their lives.
How do you see your own role in all of this? Because it goes quite a bit beyond what mayors normally do.
I try to be myself. I am enthusiastic, I am patriotic about this place, and I genuinely like people. It can take me two hours to go and buy bread because I stop and talk to everyone I meet. That is just who I am. I see my role as supporting bold ideas, helping private companies grow, and making sure good things actually happen. I should never stop that kind of thinking. When I stand on Trolltunga and marry two people who hiked up there together through wind and weather — that is not just tourism. That is giving people a moment they will carry for the rest of their lives.
Since that first midsummer ceremony in 2021, Ullensvang has welcomed couples from across Europe and beyond — from Denmark, Chile, and many countries in between. Some arrive in wedding dresses and suits, hiking boots on their feet. Some find fog, some find sun, some find both within the same hour. What they all find, somewhere between the last kilometre of the trail and the edge of the rock, is something that no hotel ballroom can offer.
Roald Aga Haug will be there waiting — mayor, officiant, and perhaps the most unconventional wedding host in Norway.
"People today are not looking for bigger weddings," he says. "They are looking for more meaningful ones. And this place — it delivers that, every single time."
Weddings at Trolltunga, Folgefonna and Agatunet are offered through Ullensvang municipality in partnership with local travel and event partners.
Contact to the Municipality and the mayors office: Inger Eitrheim Johansen, inger.eitrheim.johansen@ullensvang.kommune.no
Contact Trolltunga Marketing: Åse Marie Evjen, aase@trolltunga.com
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