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Møsvatn or Møsvann is a
lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
in Vinje Municipality in
Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...
county,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. It is the tenth-largest lake in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
with a surface area of and a volume of . The lake lies just east of the Hardangervidda National Park, in Skien watershed (''Skiensvassdrag'')
catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
. The lake discharges into the
Måna The Måna or Måne is a river in Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The river flows from the lake Møsvatn through the Vestfjorddalen valley and the town of Rjukan to the large lake Tinnsjå near the village of Miland. It is part of t ...
river at a dam located on the Vinje- Tinn municipal border (so a very small part of the lake crosses into Tinn Municipality too). The lake has an irregular shape with three arms. The longest length across the lake is about . Møsvatn is a shallow mountain lake by Norwegian standards, reaching a maximum depth of . From 1904 to 1906 dam was constructed and the lake was filled to begin
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power production. The lake's surface now sits at an elevation of about above sea level with the dam on the southeast end of the lake regulating the water level. Møsvatn is Norway's fourth largest hydroelectric power reservoir with an energy content corresponding to approximately .


Settlements

There are a few islands located in the lake. The main island of Hovdeøyi is the location of the village of Møsstrond where Møsstrond Church is located. There are several small, isolated farm communities located along the borders of the lake, most of which do not have road connections, so the main mode of transportation is by boat. Some of Norway's highest mountain farms can be found around the lake. The museum and visitor's centre Hardangervidda Natursenter is located close to the lake. Boat trips on the M/B ''Fjellvåken II'' can be taken from Skinnarbu to Mogen along the border with Hardangervidda. Along the shores of the lake, many traces of Stone Age settlers can be found.


History

On 19 November 1942, as part of the efforts to sabotage German
heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...
production, glider-borne troops were to land on the frozen lake Møsvatn near the Vemork hydroelectric plant, run by Norsk Hydro, near the town of Rjukan. This effort was not successful; however ultimately the Norwegians stopped the heavy water production activities and helped limit the German nuclear weapons research program.


See also

*
List of lakes in Norway This is a list of lakes and reservoirs in Norway, sorted by Counties of Norway, county. For the geography and history of lakes in that country, see Lakes in Norway, including: *Lakes in Norway#Largest lakes, List of largest lakes in Norway *L ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosvatn Vinje Lakes of Telemark