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Preikestolen Cliff in Norway

Want to see more photos? Check out pictures taken at Preikestolen.

The number of names a landmark has often signals its importance to the local community. Preikestolen plateau in southwestern Norway has at least five different names; it’s also known as Prekestolen, in English Preacher’s Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and traditionally as Hyvlatonnå meaning the carpenter-plane’s blade.

Preikestolen stands at a massive 604 meters (1,982 feet) and is nearly flat at its top. It was formed during the Ice age, when the edges of a glacier froze into the sides of the mountain and later broke off abrupt portions of rock forming the angular plateau. Hundreds of thousands of people make the 3.8 km hike each year to get a stunning and terrifying view of the Lysefjorden below.