Rjukan

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Rjukan is a town in Vestfold og Telemark County, Norway, situated in the narrow Vestfjorddalen Valley along the Måna River. It was established in the early 20th century as an industrial town, using the Rjukanfossen waterfall to generate electricity for Norsk Hydro’s fertilizer production. Today, Rjukan, together with Notodden, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage. The town is also known for its role in the heavy water operations during World War II, as well as for its mountainous surroundings offering outdoor activities and access to the Gaustatoppen ski area.

Hydroelectric power in Rjukan

Submitted by Jürgen Tenckhoff on
Vermork - hydroelectric power station in Rjukan, Norway

In Rjukan, everything revolves around electricity, just as we like it :-) The Vemork hydroelectric power station, built in 1911, was the largest in the world at the time and right in town you can see the Såheim hydroelectric power station today.

The Gaustabanen take you up the 1,900 meter high Gaustatoppen. We are lucky, the railways and access have just started seasonal operation and our summit ascent leads first over serpentines to 1170 m, then with railway 1 horizontally 850 meters into the mountain and from there with a funicular at 39° 1050 m wide and 850 meters high.

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