Møsvatn
Encyclopedia
Møsvatn is twelfth largest lake in Norway
with a surface area of 78.31 km². It lies primarily in Vinje
municipality
in Telemark
county
. The lake lies in the watershed of the Skien river
(Skiensvassdrag) and discharges into the Måna
river. Along the shores of the lake, many traces of stone age settlers can be found. It is 919 meters above sea level and regulated to use for hydroelectric production. Some of Norway’s highest mountain farms (fjellgårder) can be found here as well.
On 19 November 1942, as part of the efforts to sabotage
German
heavy water
production, gliderborne troops were to land on the frozen lake Møsvatn near the Vemork
hydroelectric plant, run by Norsk Hydro
, near 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.
The museum and visitor's centre Hardangervidda Natursenter
is located close to the lake. From Skinnarbu there is a boattrip with the M/B Fjellvåken to Mogen (Telemark). Nearby is the lake Tinnsjå
.
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...
with a surface area of 78.31 km². It lies primarily in Vinje
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...
municipality
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
. The lake lies in the watershed of the Skien river
Skien River
The Skien watershed is the third largest watershed of Norway after the watersheds of the Glomma and the Drammen rivers.The catchment area is 10,780 sq km, and maximum length is 252 km.The Skien watershed includes rivers which feed Lake Norsjø above Skien;...
(Skiensvassdrag) and discharges into the Måna
Måna
Måna or Måne is a river in Tinn, Norway; it flows from Møsvatn through Vestfjorddalen and Rjukan to Vestfjorden in Tinnsjå. It is part of the Skiensvassdraget drainage basin....
river. Along the shores of the lake, many traces of stone age settlers can be found. It is 919 meters above sea level and regulated to use for hydroelectric production. Some of Norway’s highest mountain farms (fjellgårder) can be found here as well.
On 19 November 1942, as part of the efforts to sabotage
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
production, gliderborne troops were to land on the frozen lake Møsvatn near the Vemork
Vemork
Vemork is the name of 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. Vemork was later the site of the first plant in the world to mass-produce heavy water...
hydroelectric plant, run by Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
, near Rjukan
Rjukan
Rjukan is a town and the administrative center of Tinn municipality in Telemark . It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Tinnsjå, and got its name after Rjukanfossen west of the town. The Tinn municipality council granted township status for Rjukan in 1996. The town has 3 386...
. This effort was not successful; however ultimately the Norwegians stopped the heavy water production activities and helped limit the German nuclear weapons research program.
The museum and visitor's centre Hardangervidda Natursenter
Hardangervidda Natursenter
The Hardangervidda Natursenter is a museum and visitor center of the Hardangervidda National Park in Norway. It is located in Eidfjord, Hordaland.-External links:* * *...
is located close to the lake. From Skinnarbu there is a boattrip with the M/B Fjellvåken to Mogen (Telemark). Nearby is the lake Tinnsjå
Tinnsjå
Tinnsjå is one of the largest lakes in Norway. It is located between the municipalities of Tinn and Notodden in Telemark county. At its source in the west, the Måna river flows out of Møsvatn and past Rjukan into Tinnsjå...
.