Mountains and Valleys
The highest mountains of southern Norway are found in the Film Rjukan region. Vinje, the muncipality just to the west of Rjukan is home to 26 of the 27 highest peaks in Telemark. The 27th peak is located in Tinn Municipality - and is the highest and the most
At 1,883 meters, Gaustatoppen is Telemark’s highest mountain.
Gaustatoppen is a mountain with a special personality, one that has gained a place in Norwegian lore, and has a strong presence in the film, television, and advertising world. One unique aspect out this mountain is that no matter which angle you film the mountain the view and the feeling is different and stunning.
The labyrinths carved out by man inside Gaustatoppen are a throwback to the Cold War era, ready to be used in a chase scene or some other dramatic sequence in your film. The Gaustabanen - the train system built in 1958 deep inside the mountain - takes you back to that precarious place in time when the world was on the brink of atomic warfare.
As you stand in Vestjorddalen, the ‘Rjukan valley’, you see this monument of granite reaching to the sky. As you travel further south in the high mountain valleys of Hjartdal, you can see how Gaustatoppen fits in perfectly as the southern outpost of the where the Hardangervidda ends and the deep valleys of the south begin.
Take a look at Ian Brodie´s stunning photography, and let your creativity roam.
The Waterfalls
At the beginning of the 20th century, Norway was one of the poorest countries in Europe. Sam Eyde, the Berlin-educated industrialist visionary from the south of Norway came to the northern Telemark region with the idea to tame the raging waterfalls of the Tinn and the surroundings in order to create a new industry driven by hydroelectric power.
Eyde did harness some of these falls, but there are still nearl 200 waterfalls here winter or summer – frozen or flowing – that are a filmakers´ dream. Nearly all of these are easily accessible, with photo and film opportunities in abundance. Our Film Rjukan guides can take you there.
And, there is nothing like experiencing the valley where the town of Rjukan lies after a strong rainfall when literally dozens of waterfalls cascade into the valley all around you.
Lake and Rivers
Historic and beautiful, Tinn Lake is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. Standing on the shores of TInn Lake by the village of Austbygda, you feel you could be in the Scottish Highlands or far in the frontiers of New Zealand.
Tinn Lake was used as the main industrial artery from Rjukan to the rest of the world with millions of tons of production shipped by ferries for the better part of a century. However, there is one famous ferry trip that stands out, one that took place in the early morning darkness of February 20, 1944. This was the historic sabotage of the ship Hydro carrying barrels of heavy water to Hitler´s research headquarters in Germany, an explosion that sent the ship down forever to the deepest part of the Lake Tinn at 430 meters.
From Northern Europe’s highest mountain plateau – Hardangervidda - that lies over one thousand meters over sea level, over 500 fishing lakes of different sizes feed water down into Tinn Municipality. Mjøsvatn og Marvatnet are the largest, and from these 500 lakes 5 major rivers feed down into TInn Municiality, then down further through Telemark to the open sea beyond.
Mjøsvatn empties into the River Skirva with its source in Skjerså in the frontier area between Nore & Ulvdal (North & Wolf Valley) and Tinn Municipality. From there the River Skriva runs out into Tinn Lake at Hovin Brygge (Hovin Dock)
A bit further west comes Austbygde, which has its source in Tessungsjå and Lufsjå, running through Tessung valley (Tessungdalen) and the Haukås-Lurås pastures out to Tinn Lake by Austbygda.
It is at Mårvatn at Kalhovdfjorden that the river Mår begins its journey down through Gauset and out to Tinn Lake at Atrå. From Gjøystvann and Grottefjorden comes the River Gjøyst than cascades through the Gjøys Valley (Gjøystdal) and out into Tinn Lake by Sanven that lies near Atrå.
Out in the western part of Tinn Municipality, from Kvenna and Mjøsvatn, the Måna River runs through Rjukan and Vestfjorddalen and further down to Tinn Lake by the small village of Mæl. It is in this river valley that Rjukan Falls majestically cascades with all its power.
Mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and waterfalls – here there are location settings that are only limited by your creative imagination.
