Experience the world heritage

Straand Hotel

The tour starts at the venerable Straand Hotel. Ever since the first skyscares arrived at Straand in 1864, Straand Hotel has provided comfort and good service with the guest in focus. The hospitality and good traditions have been passed down from generation to generation, and over 150 years later, you can still feel at home when you stay here. A very special atmosphere can be found in the old part, which lives on as a central part of the new hotel. If the solid timber walls of the cozy living rooms were to speak, they would have a lot to tell about the life and business of earlier times. Straand has an interesting and colorful past that today's 5th generation of hosts, Katrine & Lars Arne Straand, are both proud of and want to carry on.

Dalen

The tour continues to Dalen with a stop at yet another hotel with a historic feel. The hotel, also known as the "fairytale hotel", was built in 1894 and has a sumptuous, romantic style with dragon heads, towers, spires, balconies, projections and cornices. The valley is the terminus of the Telemark Canal, the waterway from Skien, which when completed was dubbed "the eighth wonder of the world" in European travel guides.

Møsvatn

Welcome to beautiful Møsvatn. Møsvatn is Vestfold and Telemark's largest lake, and part of Hardangervidda. With its location at 900 meters above sea level, it is Scandinavia's highest lake. Møsvatn and the surrounding areas boast fish in the water and reindeer on the plateau. Enjoy the view and enjoy nature on the way to the industrial adventure along the waterway

Croc

Krokan is Norway's first tourist cabin, and a very important starting point for what the Norwegian Tourist Association is today. This is one of the original locations for the concept of "it's typically Norwegian to go hiking", which was something city people came here to Krokan to do in the old days.

Maris genes

The trip has come to Maristigen. A terrifyingly steep but exciting gorge that runs straight down from the side below Rjukanfossen waterfall. Maristigen is an old travel route and some of the most rugged nature in Telemark.

The turns down towards Vemork

We make a stop in the bends down towards Vemork. This is still a dangerous road, so drive carefully! When you stop here, look towards Vemork and the unique view around it. Vemork was designed by architect Olav Nordhagen, and it was completed in the fall of 1911.

Vemork

The story of Vemork is a well-known chapter in books on both industry and war history. The Rjukan waterfall provided the foundation for Vemork, the world's largest power station in 1911, and today you can experience the industrial adventure at the Norwegian Industrial Workers' Museum - Vemork, about the revolution that took place at Rjukan at that time. During the war, Vemork was the site of Norway's largest sabotage operation "Heroes of Telemark". Take a trip to Vemork and experience the exhibitions about industry and "heroes in Telemark".

Rjukan

Between massive and deep mountains lies the town of Rjukan. Here, the class divide from the town's origins can be seen clearly in the architecture. Workers lived at the bottom in the darkness, and white-collar workers further up where the sun came first. Today, Rjukan is known for its proximity to Gaustatoppen, its industrial history, Vemork and its unique location at the bottom of the valley. In 2013, the "sun mirror" was built to bring the sun to the people.

Rjukan Business Park

The large factory areas around Rjukan Næringspark contain buildings with different functions, many of which are of high architectural quality. Rjukan Business Park currently houses 30 different companies on 110 acres of land and 30,000 square meters of office space.

The square in Rjukan

The square in Rjukan was designed by architect Torvald Astrup and was built in 1924. The function is buildings for public services and functions, such as the post office, telegraph, library and more. The post office was completed in 1921 and also houses a telephone exchange, telegraph, office and pharmacy. It was a stately building and was thus named Lakkskoen. The town's statue is by Sam Eyde and was unveiled in 1920.

Tinnsjøfergene

Transport from the factories at Rjukan was by train carriages down to the Tinnsjø ferries. Tinnsjøfergene once served the railway line on Lake Tinnsjå, which linked the Rjukan Railway and the Tinnos Railway. In the series of ships that have operated on Lake Tinnsjøen, there are now two left: Storegut and Ammonia, both of which are listed.

Along Lake Tinnjøen

The ferry Hydro was sunk here by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the Germans from obtaining heavy water. Unfortunately, there were also civilians on board the ferry when it was sunk, and now the site is a protected cemetery that shines a light on the memory of those who were sacrificed.

Tinnoset

To get fertilizer from Norsk Hydro out into the world, a railway had to be built from Tinnoset down to Notodden. The line is a full 30 km long, and it was a very demanding and sometimes daring project. The construction work was carried out at a rapid pace, and after just one year, limited rail traffic was possible.

Notodden

Notodden, the town where Norsk Hydro started. The population increased tenfold between 1900 and 1910, reaching 8,000 inhabitants. Much of the town center here was built in the then modern Art Nouveau style. Notodden is located by Heddalsvannet lake and the eastern course of the Telemark Canal, and is today known for both industry and blues.

Tinfos Paper Mill

Welcome to the old Tinfos Paper Mill. This cultural environment was protected in 2014 and is part of the world heritage. Tinfos Paper Mill is now a museum, so it is recommended that you visit the museum and see the exhibition on World Heritage.

Hydroparks

Hydroparken was established by Norsk Hydro in 1905, when Norwegian pioneers Sam Eyde and Christian Birkeland developed a method for producing synthetic nitric fertilizer from nitrogen. This required large hydropower resources, which they obtained by developing the Svelgfossen waterfall at Notodden. Today, Hydroparken rents out office space to industrial and creative industries.

End of the tour. Thank you for the tour and welcome again!