Gaustatoppen
Gaustatoppen and Rjukan
The Gaustatoppen is a mountain in the Norwegian county of Telemark south of the town of Rjukan. Moh With a height of 1883. it is the highest mountain in the province. With its cone shape, it stands out from the landscape. On a clear day it is possible to overlook one sixth of Norway, which corresponds to about 60,000 km ². The view extends to the east to the Swedish border in the south to the sea. The south slope of the mountain is very steep and inaccessible, the wreckage of an aircraft is there, and was never recovered due to the location.
Rise
Several paths lead to the summit, the easiest ascent starts from the parking Stavsro ( 1173 m), on the road between Rjukan and Tuddal. The hike to the summit is between 2 to 3 hours. The partially very rocky road overcomes a 3.5 km length, a height difference of 700 m and is marked with red T. From Tuddal from there is also a route to the summit, but the walk is longer.
Furthermore, there is a path from Selstali west of Gaustatoppen. This path is very steep. It is also marked with red T.
The summit itself is reached by a narrow ridge.
Mountain hut
Below the radio tower, at 1,860 m, is a mountain hut, which is open from mid-summer to mid-September daily from 10 to 18 clock. The cabin was built in 1893 and was expanded in 1998. Nights in the cottage are only possible by prior reservation.
Military use and mountain railway
Due to the height and location of the mountain it was used during the Cold War as a radar and radio station. Only in 1995 ended the military use. A 55 m high antenna was built in 1970 on the mountain and used for radio and mobile. In order to reach the summit all year was driven 1954-1959 Rjukan from a mountain railway ( Gaustabanen ) in the rock. Construction costs amounted at that time to around 1 million U.S. dollars. Should be used from the outset of tourists in order to refinance the cost of the train, due to the secrecy during the Cold War only came later. Even local residents was not aware of the existence of the web. The cable car starts on the road between Rjukan and Tuddal to 1170 m with a horizontal path. After a driving distance of 860 m is located inside the mountain a transit station. From there, a funicular that overcomes 650 vertical meters over a length of 1.050 m starts. The hill station is situated at 1800 m below the mountain hut at the end of a tunnel in the mountain. The funicular has a slope of 40 °. As of 2004, the cable car was used commercially.
Sports
At the top of Gaustatoppen the Norseman triathlon, which begins in Eidfjord ends. In winter, the Gaustatoppen is a popular destination for downhill as well as cross-country skiers.