Telemark Canal

The Telemark Canal with locks and lakes

The Telemark channel (Norwegian: Telemark channel ) is a channel in the Norwegian region Telemark between the skerries on Skagerrak and the Hardangervidda . It connects the places Skien and Dalen . The name has been used in connection with tourism since the 1990s for the two canals Skien-Norsjø Canal and Norsjø-Bandak Canal . The Telemark Canal is the only canal system in Norway besides the Halden Canal . It is 105 kilometers long and leads from the sea (the North Sea ) to the Norwegian region of Telemark. A system of 18 lock steps manages a height difference of 72 meters on the route. It leads over long distances through existing lakes and connects them with one another.

Section Skien - Norsjø (1854–1861)

This part of the canal is the oldest. It was built from 1854 to 1861. It connects the Frierfjord via the Bryggevannet harbor in Skien with the Norsjø . As early as 1805, the economist Christian Pram declared that it would be convenient to be able to overcome the Klosterfossen and Skotfossen waterfalls - so the basic idea for a canal was born. In 1831 the bailiff F. Wedel Jarlsberg emphasized this wish and in 1844 a commission recommended the construction of a canal through Løveid. The plans for the construction were drawn up by the canal director Engebret Soot and his assistant Walingorski and the canal directors Røiem and Johan Tullin Thams.

Section Norsjø - Bandak (1887-1892)

Opening of the Telemark Canal in 1892

This part of the canal was completed on June 20, 1892 after 500 workers wrested it from the Norwegian rock without machines for five years. The inauguration took place on September 20, 1892. In its day it was referred to as the eighth wonder of the world in travel guides . Most of the canal runs over pre-existing lakes, which have also been dammed, and connecting rivers. They are called: Bandak , Strauman , Sundkilen , Kviteseidvatn , Fjågesund , Flåvatn , Straumen , Nomevatn , Eidselva and Norsjø . The large lakes along the canal (Bandak, Kviteseidvatn and Flåvatn) are also called Vestvannene .

Locks

The lock system in Vrangfoss

lock	Lifting height	Chambers	Lock time
Skien	5 m	1	20 min
Løveid	10.3 m	3	35 min
Ulefoss	10.7 m	3	40 min
Eidsfoss	10 m	2	30 min
Vrangfoss	23 m	5	60 min
Lunde	3 m	1	15 minutes
Kjeldal	3 m	1	15 minutes
Hogga	7 m	2	25 min

Maximum ship dimensions

length	width	Height (above water level)	Draft
31.4 m	6.6 m	12.8 m (to Dalen)	2.5 m

rafting

Løveid around 1900

The Telemark Canal gained its economic importance through rafting , and it enabled the industrialization of the province of Telemark with its center of Skien . For a long time, the Telemark Canal was the last canal in Europe that was still used for rafting. The rafting was only operated in the southern section between Norsjø and Skien until March 2006, in the northern part it was stopped in 1980.

The priority of rafting is reflected in the fact that the canal is only open to private boats from mid-June to mid-August. This is explained by the fact that the Norske Skog paper mill in Skien, which has now been closed, was on summer vacation.

As early as the 15th century, this region was Norway's most important wood producer and exporter. The canal made it easier to transport the trunks from the heart of Telemark, with its many lakes, to the commercial port of Skien. Much of the forest has grown back since the canal was built.

tourism

In operation since 1882: steamship Victoria, the "Queen of the Canal"

Characteristic of the Telemark Canal are its historical, hand-operated locks that have been preserved true to the original. In summer it is used by both liners and sport boats (popular canoeing area ). Along the entire length, a 115-kilometer section of national cycle route 2 invites you to go cycling. The canal leads through a scenic area where towns and villages alternate with pastures, pine forests and rugged cliffs on the shore.

The liners are four nostalgic ships: The M / S Victoria is the "Queen of the Canal" and was built in 1882. The M / S Henrik Ibsen was built in 1907 and was originally in service in Sweden . It is named after Henrik Ibsen , who lived in Skien. After a long renovation period, the M / S Skarsfos from 1909 has been in use here since 2002 . The newer M / S Telemarken from 1951 also operates .

literature

Martin Wlecke: Telemark Canal. (OutdoorHandbuch Volume 112) , Conrad Stein Verlag, Welver 2002, ISBN 3-89392-512-0 [1]
Tor Kjetil Gardåsen: A cultural and historical journey on the Telemark Canal , 1998, ISBN 82-90052-56-1

Web links

Commons : Telemark Canal - collection of images, videos and audio files

Homepage of the channel (including in German)
Homepage of M / S Telemark (including a page in German)
Detailed travel report: "Journey to the Telemark Canal"
Geo.de - pure nostalgia: The Telemark Canal (two pages of the GEO Special Norway from 2003)

Trivia

A third waterway with a connection to the Telemark Canal is the Øst Canal , which leads from Notodden on Heddalsvatnet to Ulefoss on Norsjø and is not actually a canal as it uses existing waterways.