It is open daily and offers an informative tour of Norway’s industrial prowess from the early 20th Century through to the present. The site now hosts the Norwegian Industrial Worker’s Museum. The team succeeded and escaped, skiing more than 200 miles south through Norway to freedom. Bombing raids had failed because of the topography and terrain of the valley, so a Special Operations Executive operation was needed. Their mission, as part of Operation Gunnerside, was to sabotage the production of heavy water in an attempt to limit the Nazi war effort. In 1943, a team of Norwegian Resistance fighters (the heroes of Telemark), who fled their Nazi-occupied country to train with British Commandos in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland, were parachuted onto the Hardangarvidda plateau.
It was made famous during World War II because of its advances in science and heavy water production (an important component required for the development of nuclear weapons). In 1934 the world’s largest hydro-electric powerplant was built at Vemork. Norsk Hydro started hydro-electric production in 1905 due to the high waterfalls throughout the valley. Once a significant industrial centre, Rjukan has had a very wealthy past. A 51m2 mirror now enables the market square to be lit up during the long, dark winter months. The founder of the town, Sam Eyde, thought out and suggested giant sun mirrors (Solspeil) in 1913, although they were not built until 2005 when Martin Anderson designed and completed the project. The peak of Gaustatoppen, the highest mountain in southern Norway, stands above the southern side of the valley at a height of 1883m, blocking the winter sun. Rjukan is located in a deep U-shaped glacial valley, sitting at 303m above sea level within the Telemark area of Norway.
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