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Hardangervidda & Nøtingshovda
Hardangervidda. The largest plateau in Europe (6500km², with average height 1100m above sea level). It is characterized by a cool, alpine climate. One of the largest Norwegian glaciers – Hardangerjøkulen is located on the Plateau. In addition, the extensive net of trails, holiday cottages and tourist lodges makes it an ideal place for outdoor enthusiasts. I realized that this year my foot has never stand on the Plateau. In the previous one, I took two one-day trips in different locations (here and here). Now, summer is over and soon the weather conditions will not be so favorable for mountain hiking. So I decided it was time to go to Hardangervidda.…
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Rjukan and hike on Hardangervidda
Rjukan is a small town (3,100 inhabitants) located in a narrow valley by the Måna River, in the municipality of Tinn, in the Telemark county. The history of Rjukan started at the beginning of the 20th century, when the enormous potential of using Norway’s waterfalls to generate electricity was discovered. It was then that hydroelectric power plants began to appear, such as the one in Tyssedal or in Rjukan. Simultaneously with the Rjukan power plant, huge industrial plants producing fertilizers were built, all in one complex, called Vemork. Rjukan quickly turned from a small agricultural village into a thriving industrial city with up to 12,000 inhabitants. The fertilizer factory, operating…
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Sabotørstien, Vemork & Mæl stasjon
Thinking about the history of Norway, very often we see bunch of tall, beared warriors with helmets on their heads and swords or axes in hands, jumping out from wooden ships and starting one of many plundering attacks. But history of this country is not only medieval vikings. The most famous sabotage action of the Second World War took place in Norway, at the Norsk Hydro factory, near Rjukan, where heavy water was produced. In the winter of 1943, Norwegian commando slipped into the factory, guarded by German soldiers and destroyed the installation that could lead the Nazis to create an atomic bomb. And the one in Hitler’s hands was…
