Finse
Encyclopedia
Finse is an area in the Ulvik
municipality of Hordaland
, Norway
. The railway station at Finse (Finse Station
) on the Bergensbanen
at 1,222m is the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system. Since there are no (public) roads to Finse, the railway provides the sole means of transportation to and from Finse. During summer, however, it is possible to walk or cycle to Finse. Across the railway line from the station is housed the railway navvy
museum, which has exhibits on the construction of the railway line and two decommissioned snow-clearing engines which you are free to explore. The area also has a hotel (Finse 1222), a hostel (Finsehytta, DNT
) and a number of private cabins.
During the winter, Finse is popular for cross-country skiing, sail skiing (due to its location on the edge of a frozen lake), expedition training and Red Cross training. The ill-fated Scott expedition
to the South Pole trained here, and outside the hotel there is a monument to those that died. There is one small drag-lift which allows you to downhill ski on one slope back into town.
During the summer the focus switches to mountain cycling, walking and glacier walking on the adjacent 'blue ice' Hardangerjøkulen
glacier. The Rallarvegen
is a popular bicycle route, from Haugastøl
and Flåm
.
Finse is home to the Alpine Research Center operated by the University of Oslo
and University of Bergen
. The Centre began its work in 1972, initially under the title of the High Mountain Ecological Research Station. The Centre hosts numerous workshops, conferences and research projects from both Norwegian and international institutions. It is part of EU-funded International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT).
In March 1979 Finse was the place in which George Lucas
chose to shoot the ice planet Hoth
in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
, because its chilling landscape matched the fiction.
The Finse tunnel, town and the Finse 1222 Hotel are the setting of Anne Holt
's 2007 novel 1222.
Ulvik
Ulvik is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality stretches from the Hardangerfjord to 1,800 metres above sea level, and borders the municipalities of Granvin, Eidfjord, Ullensvang, Voss, Aurland, and Hol. It takes around two hours to drive from Bergen to Ulvik. The nearest...
municipality of Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The railway station at Finse (Finse Station
Finse Station
Finse Station is a railway station located at Finse in Ulvik, Norway. The station is served by up to seven daily express trains in each direction, normally three per day and one overnight trains, all operated by the Norwegian State Railways. The station also features a navvy museum, dedicated to...
) on the Bergensbanen
Bergensbanen
The Bergen Line , also called the Bergen Railway, is a standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, where the passenger trains go, a distance of...
at 1,222m is the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system. Since there are no (public) roads to Finse, the railway provides the sole means of transportation to and from Finse. During summer, however, it is possible to walk or cycle to Finse. Across the railway line from the station is housed the railway navvy
Navvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
museum, which has exhibits on the construction of the railway line and two decommissioned snow-clearing engines which you are free to explore. The area also has a hotel (Finse 1222), a hostel (Finsehytta, DNT
Norwegian Mountain Touring Association
The Norwegian Trekking Association is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on 21 January 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly...
) and a number of private cabins.
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
to the South Pole trained here, and outside the hotel there is a monument to those that died. There is one small drag-lift which allows you to downhill ski on one slope back into town.
Hardangerjøkulen
Hardangerjøkulen is the sixth largest glacier in mainland Norway, and is located in Eidfjord and Ulvik municipalities.Hardangerjøkulen's highest point is above sea level, and is the highest point in Hordaland. Its lowest point is above sea level....
glacier. The Rallarvegen
Rallarvegen
Rallarvegen is the name of a construction road in Norway,built from 1902 to 1904 in connection with the construction of theBergensbanen railline...
is a popular bicycle route, from Haugastøl
Haugastøl
Haugastøl is a station on the railway line Bergensbanen in Norway. The station is located in the Hol municipality situated between the stations Ustaoset to the east and Finse to the west. The station is 275.5 km from Oslo if one follows the track over Roa. The altitude is 988 metres above sea level...
and Flåm
Flåm
Flåm is a village at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. The village is located in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway...
.
Finse is home to the Alpine Research Center operated by the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
. The Centre began its work in 1972, initially under the title of the High Mountain Ecological Research Station. The Centre hosts numerous workshops, conferences and research projects from both Norwegian and international institutions. It is part of EU-funded International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT).
In March 1979 Finse was the place in which George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
chose to shoot the ice planet Hoth
Hoth
In the fictional universe of Star Wars, Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote system of the same name. It is a terrestrial planet blanketed by snow and ice. Many meteorites from a nearby asteroid belt pelt the planet's surface, making temporary craters in the planet's ever-moving snow drifts. Hoth...
in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
, because its chilling landscape matched the fiction.
The Finse tunnel, town and the Finse 1222 Hotel are the setting of Anne Holt
Anne Holt
-Career:She was born in Larvik, grew up in Lillestrøm and Tromsø, and moved to Oslo in 1978 where she lives today with her registered partner Anne Christine Kjær and their daughter Iohanne. Holt graduated with a law degree from the University of Bergen in 1986, and worked for The Norwegian...
's 2007 novel 1222.
External links
- Finse (Norwegian)
- Finse1222 (-> English)
- http://www.kitebrothers.no
- 360 Panoramas from Finse
- HD YouTube video of the Finse portion of Bergensbanen, an HD video of the rail journey from Bergen to Oslo, Norway produced by NRK (Norwegian National Broadcasting).
- Finse Alpine Research Centre
- University of Oslo
- EU Interact