Drive it Yourself: Telemark
Telemark is a region in southern Norway famous for its natural beauty and industrial heritage. On this drive, we’ll pass the birthplace of skiing, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and go to one of Norway’s highest peaks! To finish it all off, we visit Norway’s largest stave church. Join me for a beautiful drive through Telemark.
In this article...
Download this Guide
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We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store.
Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
Watch on Youtube
All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like.
The Drive: Telemark
Dalen
This drive begins in Dalen, a small town located on the westernmost endpoint of the Telemark Canal. The Telemark Canal goes all the way to Skien on the coast of Norway – originally the canal was used for industry, but today it is more popular with tourists.
When the canal was completed, it was referred to as the ‘eighth wonder’. Ferries were able to link Telemark with Oslo through the canal and then Oslofjord.
Dalen Hotel is a famous historic hotel; it is one of the best preserved hotels from the 1800s. The hotel was built with the opening of the Telemark Canal in 1892. When it opened, it became popular with European royals.
During the occupation, it was a resort for German officers. Most of the interior was stripped and sold for parts. The building fell into disrepair.
After the war, the building was bought by singer and evangelist Aage Samuelsen. The hotel got a lot of attention and was restored in the 1980s. The hotel reopened in 1992. In 2000, the hotel won the Europa Nostra award for outstanding conservation.
The architecture is a mix of Swiss chalet with national romanticism and Dragestil, a type of Norwegian architecture inspired by Viking and medieval art.
A night at the hotel starts at 3,000 NOK, with rooms going up to 8,300 NOK.
Eidsborg Stave Church
Stave Church
Eidsborg Stave Church is one of the 28 remaining stave churches in Norway. Built some time between 1250 and 1300, the church stands out for being one of the smallest stave churches. Additionally, it is an important pilgrimage church that gave way to its own cult in the old times! Eidsborg Stave Church is located on the hill above the village of Dalen, and today is part of the Vest Telemark Museum. A visit to the church also includes a look at the historic farm buildings from the region.
Kveiteseid Municipality
Morgedal & Sondre Norheim
Ski museum
Things Telemark is known for #1: It’s the birthplace of skiing! Well, modern skiing to be exact. Telemark skiing is a style of skiing invented by Sondre Norheim. There’s also the characteristic Telemark landing of ski jumping.
Sondre Norheim was born in a small valley here in 1825. He was the first to introduce what is today known as modern skiing. He introduced an improved, more stable binding and was the first to develop skis with a side cut, today called carving skis.
He is the father of Telemark skiing. It is a technique to turn when going downhill. The heel is detached from the ski and the front of the boot is fixed. This allows the skier to kneel as they turn, pushing forward one ski while lifting the heel of the other.
Sondre combined ordinary skiing with jumping and slalom, making it a sport. In 1868 he won the first national skiing competition in Christiania (Oslo). He set the first-ever ski jumping record at this event.
His reputation grew and made Norwegian words like ski and slalåm known worldwide.
Torjus Hemmestveit and Mikkjel Hemmestveit were from here. They are considered the foremost pioneers of modern skiing in the United States. Before they emigrated to the United States, they created the world’s first skiing school at Christiania (Oslo).
When Norway has hosted the Winter Olympics (Oslo 1952 and Lillehammer 1994), the flame was lit at Sondre Norheim’s birthplace.
Seljord Municipality
Selma in Seljord
Monster
Seljord is famous for its sea serpent Selma, who lives in Lake Seljord. She is mentioned many times in Norwegian folklore; the first ‘sighting’ of her being from 1750. The town has recently built a tower so you can go and try to spot her. The tower is located at ‘Seljord Camping’ – a caravan park – and you have to pay to park on site. The tower itself is free, but there’s no way to avoid paying for parking.
The yearly Dyrsku’n Market, held since 1866, attracts up to 80,000 visitors a year. It’s a fair that started as a show of farm animals. Today it has a huge market with vendors selling almost anything from outdoor gear, outdoor clothing, crafts and food. There are also rides.
Seljord Church is one of the oldest churches in Norway. Built between 1150 and 1180, it is in a Romanesque style and dedicated to St. Olav. The church has old furniture, including Norway’s oldest post-Reformation Altar from 1588.
On the north side, you can see a face in the wall. According to legend, it is Olav the Holy.
Another legend about the church says it was built by a ‘tussock’ – a Norwegian folkloric supernatural being. When he was to build the church tower, he fell and died. The place where he died still doesn’t grow grass to this day.
Mælefjelltunnelen
Tunnel
Shortly after leaving Seljord you’ll go through the brand-new Mælefjelltunnelen.
The tunnel opened on 19 December 2019 and is 9.3km (5.8 mi) long. It was built to provide better accessibility for trucks and avoid the narrower mountain roads. It is the longest tunnel in Telemark and the seventh-longest in the country. It took 6 years to build.
Hjartal Municipality
Sauland
village
Around 800 people live in Sauland, a small village that was a major centre until Notodden was built. Sauland even had its own stave church, which was torn down and replaced with the current Sauland Church.
Sauland has a large gravel industry, and there are plans to establish a hydroelectric power station here. Sauland is also known for its mineral thulite, which is a manganese rich red-pink variant of zoisite. It is found on a couple farms north of the village. It was discovered 200 years ago.
At Sauland you’ll find a petrol station, grocery store, and shops.
Mountain Pass (Fv3430)
Scenic Road
The Fv3430 is a beautiful mountain pass that takes you very quickly from green pastures to bare rugged mountain peaks. There are many beautiful places to stop for photos before reaching Gaustabanen.
Please note that this road closes in winter.
Tinn Municipality
Gaustabanen
Funicular
Gaustabanen is a treat. You ride an underground funicular that was built for NATO during the Cold War (the purpose remains a mystery) and come out the other end on Gaustatoppen, a nearly 2000m-high mountain that (on a clear day) has a view over 1/6 of Norway!
This is not to be missed (unless the weather is bad). But you will need at least 2 hours – preferably 3-4 – to do this ride.
Rjukan
Rjukan is a fascinating town. Here you will find the Vemork Museum, which is about Rjukan’s development as an industrial city and the role of the hydropower plant during World War II. After all, Vemork was the site of Norway’s most famous sabotage operation.
Mæl & Tinnsjøen
Lake & WWII Site
Shortly after leaving Rjukan, you’ll reach the lake Tinnsjøen. At the edge of the lake is a preserved section of the Rjukanbanen, or the old train-ferry-train line that transported goods from the plants at Rjukan to the harbour in Skien. The name of this town is Mæl.
The stop is marked and has information boards about how it worked.
This is also the site where a sabotage operation sank a German ship trying to export heavy water to Germany and assist in developing an atomic bomb.
Tinnsjøen is one of Norway’s deepest and largest lakes – we’ll be following it for most of the drive to Heddal.
Notodden Municipality
Heddal Stave Church
Stave Church
We’ve made it to Heddal Stave Church! This is Norway’s largest stave church, and one of the best preserved. At this church you’ll find an open-air museum, indoor museum with exhibitions and you can enter the stave church.
Kongsberg Municipality
Kongsberg
Kongsberg is a fascinating town to explore, and if you have a full day I recommend making the most of everything on offer.
Historically, Kongsberg is an important place. It was founded by the Danish/Norwegian King Christian IV as a mining community in 1624 after the discovery of silver. One year later, the Kongsberg Silver Mines were established.
With the rise of silver mining, Kongsberg became the largest industrial centre in Norway until the 19th century. The silver mining contributed to 10% of Denmark-Norway’s GDP, which was mostly spent on Denmark’s endless wars with Sweden.
Christian IV hired Germans from silver mines in Germany to help with the establishment and education of silver mining in Norway. Most of the workers throughout the mines history were Germany, though Norwegians gradually took over.
The mines also contained high-purity gold and a large amount of copper, cobalt, lead-zinc and flourite.
The Kongsberg Mines were energy intensive and difficult to work in. Eventually gunpowder was used in the mines. This also helped establish Kongsberg’s defence industry. Today, Kongsberg is known as the home of Norway’s major defence contractor, Kongsberg Gruppen. Two of its well-known products are Kongsberg Cold and the Krag-Jørgensen rifle.
Kongsberg is also the site of the Royal Norwegian Mint, which mints Norwegian coins and produces circulating and collectors’ coins for other countries.
In Kongsberg you’ll find many museums. You can also visit the Kongsberg Mines, where some buildings are still standing. The mountain has many hiking trails for all levels, and many choose to hike to Kronene i Håvet, a collection of royal monograms in the side of the mountain (click here for info).
Due to the huge Danish and German influence, the architecture in Kongsberg is unique compared to other pats of the country. It has also largely escaped fired.
Continue the drive
Numedal Valley
The Numedal Valley will take you from Kongsberg up to the mountains of Western Norway.
Previous Drive
This drive is part of the multi-day series “Ultimate Norway”. You can read about the whole drive below.
If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!
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