Tinn is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is part of the

traditional region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social ...

s of

Upper Telemark Upper Telemark ( no, Øvre Telemark) is a Norwegian region comprising the inland of the traditional district Telemark in Vestfold og Telemark county. More than two thirds of the total area of Telemark, or above 10,000 square kilometres, belong t ...

and

Øst-Telemark Aust-Telemark is a traditional district in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It comprises three municipalities: Hjartdal, Notodden and Tinn. The largest population centres in the region are the cities Notodden and Rjukan, of which Noto ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Rjukan Rjukan () is a town and the administrative centre of Tinn municipality in Telemark, Norway. It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Lake Tinn, and got its name after Rjukan Falls west of the town. The Tinn municipality council gra ...

. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of ''Tin(d)'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Hovin was separated from the municipality of Tinn in 1860, but it was merged back into the municipality of Tinn on 1 January 1964.

Krossobanen Krossobanen is an aerial tramway in Rjukan, Norway, and was the first of its kind in Northern Europe. It was built in 1928 by Bleichert as a gift from Norsk Hydro to the people of Rjukan Rjukan () is a town and the administrative centre of Tinn mu ...

is the oldest

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

in Northern Europe. It was built in 1928 as a gift from

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world a ...

. There is a museum and

Hardangervidda National Park Hardangervidda National Park ( en, Hardanger Plateau National Park, no, Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at , is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Harda ...

center at the lake

Møsvatn Møsvatn (or Møsvann) is the tenth-largest lake in Norway with a surface area of 78.31 km2. It lies primarily Møsstrond, Vinje in Vestfold og Telemark. The lake lies in the watershed of the Skien river (''Skiensvassdrag'') and discharges ...

close to Tinn.

General information

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

form of the name was ''Tinnr''. It is probably the old name of the

Lake Tinn A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, the central lake in the municipality. The meaning of the name is unknown.

Coat-of-arms

The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 18 November 1994. The arms show five blue drops of water on a silver background. It was chosen to represent the five rivers in the municipality and the

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a w ...

. It was designed by Halvor Holtskog.

History

Rjukan Falls Rjukan Falls ( no, Rjukanfossen) is a waterfall of 104 metres in the western part of the Westfjord valley in Tinn, a municipality in the county of Vestfold og Telemark, Norway, west of the industrial town Rjukan. The waterfall is a part of the Må ...

on the

Måna The Måna or Måne is a river in Tinn in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway; it flows from Møsvatn through Vestfjorddalen and Rjukan to Vestfjorden in Lake Tinn. It is part of the Skiensvassdraget drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of l ...

river allowed construction of

Vemork Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power pl ...

, the largest

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

in the world in 1911. The station has become a museum where one can explore the history of the energy and see exhibits about the industrial development in Norway and at

, the municipality center of Tinn. The museum is most famous for its presentation of Rjukan's war history. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Vemork was the site of the

Norwegian heavy water sabotage The Norwegian heavy water sabotage ( nb, Tungtvannsaksjonen; nn, Tungtvassaksjonen) was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involvi ...

, when Norwegian saboteurs prevented the Germans from producing nuclear weapons from the heavy water which was produced here. The exhibit ''Atomkappløpet'' ("The nuclear race") presents the four heavy water sabotages and the allied efforts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Geography

The municipality borders the municipality of

Nore og Uvdal Nore og Uvdal is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg. The area of ''Nore'' was separated from the municipality of R ...

(in Buskerud county) to the north,

Rollag Rollag is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, although the most pop ...

and

Flesberg Flesberg is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland. The economy of ...

(also in Buskerud) to the east,

Notodden Notodden () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Notodden. Notodden was separated from the munic ...

Hjartdal Hjartdal is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sauland. The muni ...

, and

Seljord Seljord is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. The pari ...

to the south, and

Vinje Vinje is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative ...

to the west. Tinn stretches deeply into the

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...

landscape. One landmark in Tinn is the tall mountain

Gaustatoppen Gaustatoppen is the highest mountain in the county Vestfold og Telemark in Norway which lies in the municipality Tinn and Hjartdal. The view from the summit is impressive, as one can see an area of approximately 60,000 km², one sixth of Norw ...

, which is climbed by 30,000 people each year. On clear days it is possible to see one sixth of Norway from its summit.

Notable people

WWII heavy water saboteurs

Arne Kjelstrup Arne Kjelstrup, MM (30 October 1913 – 5 May 1995) was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943, and for being military leader of Milorg section D-161 (Ko ...

MM (1913 in Rjukan – 1995) a

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

member during WWII, role in the

1942–1943 * Knut Lier-Hansen (1916 in Rjukan – 2008) a

member during WWII, Army sergeant, role in sinking of ''SF Hydro'' as a part of the

Jens-Anton Poulsson Jens-Anton Poulsson Distinguished Service Order, DSO, (27 October 1918 – 2 February 2010) was a Norwegian military officer. During World War II he was a Norwegian resistance movement, Norwegian resistance member, especially noted for his role in ...

(1918 in Tinn – 2010) a military officer, a

member, role in the

1942–1943 *

Claus Helberg Claus Helberg (31 January 1919 – 6 March 2003) was a Norwegian resistance fighter and mountain guide. He was a member of Company Linge, a resistance commando unit that was best known for carrying out Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World W ...

(1919 in Rjukan – 2003) a

member, mountain guide, role in the

Other public Service

Sam Eyde Samuel Eyde (29 October 1866 – 21 June 1940) was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist. He was the founder of both Norsk Hydro and Elkem. Personal life Eyde was born in Arendal in Aust-Agder, Norway. He was a son of ship-owner Samuel Eyde (181 ...

(1866–1940) a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, developed

to produce hydro electrical power * Albert Sund (1884–?) a trade union leader and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician, Chairman of the ''Øst-Telemark faglige Samorg'' for three years. *

Knut Haugland Knut Magne Haugland, DSO, MM, (23 September 1917 – 25 December 2009) was a resistance fighter and noted explorer from Norway, who accompanied Thor Heyerdahl on his famous 1947 '' Kon-Tiki'' expedition. Early life and World War II Haugland, b ...

DSO, MM, (1917 in Rjukan – 2009) a WWII resistance fighter, explorer, who accompanied

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...

on his famous 1947

Kon-Tiki The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...

expedition * Einar-Fredrik Ofstad (1916 in Rjukan – 1998) a Norwegian diplomat * Gunnar Sønsteby DSO (1918 in Rjukan – 2012) a member of the

movement and Norway's most highly decorated citizen * Petter Graver (1920 in Tinn – 1995) a jurist, diplomat from 1947 to 1988 and a lawyer *

Gunnar Odd Hagen Gunnar Odd Hagen (14 July 1921 – 6 October 1997) was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Telemark during the terms 1969–1973 and 1973–1977. In tot ...

(1921–1997) a Norwegian politician and a dentist in Tinn *

Reidun Røed Reidun Røed, née Hjartøy (22 March 1921 – 5 April 2009) was a Norwegian resistance member. She was born in Rjukan, but the family moved to Jar in her youth, and she finished her secondary education at Stabekk Upper Secondary School. She stud ...

(1921 in Rjukan – 2009) a female

member * Bjørn Bruland (1926 in Rjukan – 2014) a Norwegian admiral and politician * Reidar Engell Olsen (born 1933) a Norwegian politician and sometime Mayor of Tinn *

Jostein Børtnes Jostein Børtnes (born 16 April 1937) is a Norwegian literary historian and Slavist with emphasis on Russian. He was born in Hovin, Telemark. He took the Russian training in the Norwegian Armed Forces, then graduated with the cand.philol. degree ...

(born 1937 in Hovin, Telemark) a literary historian and

Slavist Slavic (American English) or Slavonic (British English) studies, also known as Slavistics is the academic field of area studies concerned with Slavic areas, languages, literature, history, and culture. Originally, a Slavist or Slavicist was prim ...

Signe Howell Signe Lise Howell (born 15 July 1942) is a Norwegian social anthropologist. Personal life Howell was born in Tinn to physician Finn Oddvar Lie and Lise Thomassen. She was married to performance artist Anthony Howell from 1970 to 1977, and to D ...

(born 1942 in Tinn) a Norwegian

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

and academic *

Bernt Ivar Eidsvig Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, known after 1991 as Markus Bernt Eidsvig (born 12 September 1953), is a Norwegian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Bishop of Oslo since 2005 and the Apostolic Administrator of the Roman Catholic Territorial P ...

(born 1953 in Rjukan) a prelate of the Catholic Church and

Bishop of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It w ...

* Øystein Mæland (born 1960 in Rjukan) a psychiatrist, civil servant and former politician Linnea Dale 2

The Arts

* Knut Luraas (1782 in Tinn – 1843) a Norwegian

Hardingfele A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than f ...

fiddler and artist * Thomas Luraas (1799 in Tinn – 1886) a Norwegian rose painter and clarinetist *

Else Poulsson Else Poulsson (24 March 1909 – 10 February 2002) was a Norwegian painter and textile artist. Biography Poulsson was born in Rjukan in Telemark, Norway. She was the daughter of Jens Jørgensen Poulsson and Vivi Lange, and was a sister of Colo ...

(1909 in Rjukan – 2002) a Norwegian painter and textile artist *

Jørn Lande Jørn Marumsrud Lande (born May 31, 1968) is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter. He is known for his work with the bands Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond, The Snakes, and most notably with power metal band Ma ...

(born 1968 in Rjukan) a hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter *

Linnea Dale Linnea Dale (born 22 April 1991) is a Norway, Norwegian singer. Early life Linnea Dale was born in Tinn, Telemark, Norway. She attended the high school Skien videregående skole. ''Idol'' She was a contestant on the fifth season of the Idol (Nor ...

(born 1991 in Tinn) a Norwegian singer.

Sport

* Snowshoe Thompson (born 1827 in Austbygdi, Telemark as ''Jon Torsteinsson Rue'' – 1876) a Norwegian-American, considered the father of California skiing *

Jon Terje Øverland Jon Terje Øverland (born December 14, 1944) is a Norwegian alpine skier. He was born in Rjukan. He participated at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, where he competed in downhill, slalom and giant slalom. He also participated at the 1968 W ...

(born 1944 in Rjukan) an alpine skier, competed at the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

Gallery

References

External links

* *
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Museum

Postcard from TinnPostmarks/cancels from Tinn
{{Authority control Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark