Gaustabanen

Gaustabanen - darkometer rating : 1 - An incredible underground tunnel system inside which funicular trains go all the way to the top of Mt Gausta, the "jewel of the Telemark", in southern Norway . It was built by NATO to provide access to a Cold War era radio tower near the mountain's summit. A very unusual relic – and a truly unique thrill to do the ride. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Mt Gausta is not only considered one of Norway 's most beautiful mountains (the "jewel of Telemark"), at 1883 m (6178 feet) above sea level its summit was also of strategic importance for the military during the Cold War. A radio tower and listening station was built by NATO near the summit of Mt Gausta – and to permit access to it at all times and in any weather a tunnel system was blasted into the core of the mountain for a service funicular in the late 1950s at immense cost. It had been planned to recoup some of the investment through opening the funicular to tourists, but as the Cold War intensified it remained a military secret instead until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc in the 1990s. After a short period of subsequent commercial use the line was closed again for renovation for a while and reopened for business only a couple of years ago. Safety is now improved, but the ride still has a very adventurous feel to it. The basic layout of the tunnel system was apparently borrowed from that of the hydroelectric power generation water-duct tunnels. From the bottom station at the base of the mountain a first tunnel goes deep into the mountain horizontally for about 850 m (nearly 3000 feet).