Telemark canal
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The Telemark canal originally consisted of two canals. The Norsjø-Skien canal, with locks in Skien and Løveid was built in the period 1854–1861, and is the oldest of the two canals. The other original canal – Bandak-Nordsjø canal – was opened in 1892. In Europe, the canal was seen as "the eighth wonder" when it was finished. The canal was mainly built for transport of goods and passengers, log floating and to prevent flooding. Log floating, however, is no longer practiced, due to the closing of Union - a local paper factory.
The Telemark canal consists of 18 lock-chambers, is 105 km long and has a difference in altitude of 72 m. The biggest lock system is Vrangfoss which has five lock-chambers and a lifting height of 23 m. The passenger boats Henrik Ibsen and Victoria travel with tourists from Skien to Dalen via Kviteseid. Victoria has traveled through the Telemark Canal since 1870.
[edit] Distribution of the 18 lock-chambers
| Lock | Lift height | Chambers | Lock passage time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skien | 5 m | 1 chamber | 20 min |
| Løveid | 10.3 m | 3 chambers | 35 min |
| Ulefoss | 10.7 m | 3 chambers | 40 min |
| Eidsfoss | 10 m | 2 chambers | 30 min |
| Vrangfoss | 23 m | 5 chambers | 60 min |
| Lunde | 3 m | 1 chamber | 15 min |
| Kjeldal | 3 m | 1 chamber | 15 min |
| Hogga | 7 m | 2 chambers | 25 min |
[edit] Maximum traffic dimensions on the Telemark Canal
| Dimension | Meter | Feet | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mast height | 16 | 52.5 | limited to 12.8 m at Ulefoss–Dalen |
| Length | 31.4 | 100 | |
| Breadth | 6.6 | 21 | |
| Draft | 2.5 | 8 |
