A tour around a hydroelectric power station might not sound that promising, but this is one industrial landmark that's worth a detour. The Tysso 1 power plant was constructed between 1906 and 1918 by Thorvald Astrup, who blended classical European architecture with austere, functionalist lines. It's a striking monument to industrial ambition, and can be explored on a guided tour.
A student of the burgeoning functionalist movement, and a passionate lover of Italian cathedrals, Astrup was a visionary architect who believed that industrial sites could be beautiful as well as functional. Tyssedal is perhaps his masterpiece, a striking structure that looks more like an abbey than a power plant. It's one of the country’s most significant industrial heritage sites, and is now protected under historic monument legislation.
You can wander around by yourself, but you'll learn much more by taking a guided tour, which also visits the nearby Ringedal dam and some well-preserved workers’ houses in Odda.
If you're feeling fit, and you have good shoes, you can also climb the footpath used by the workers to reach the beginning of the pipeline at Lilletopp, 400m above the power station. There is also a small intake dam, the dam-watcher's house, water tunnels and the huge waterpipes, not to mention spectacular views of the Sørfjord.
Trolltunga Active also offer guided climbs along a via ferrata that replicates the experience of the workers who built the plant.
