Only a few hours by car from Oslo, Gaustatoppen Mountain is a famous destination for Norwegians and foreigners alike. 945 metres above sea level you find our hostel, with an amazing view and quite a special history.
The place:
Gaustatoppen Hostel is located only 5 kilometres from the famous Gaustatoppen Mountain. From the top of the mountain, rumour has it that you can see 1/6th of Norway! There are excellent skiing and hiking options in the area. In the summer, you can reach the hostel by the highest public road in Norway – 1266 metres above sea level.
The area:
Gaustatoppen Hostel’s nearest town is Rjukan – a famous small town because of the heavy water factory and the bombing of this factory by Norwegian resistance forces during World War Two. Today, there is a museum in the old factory which shows the fascinating history. The factory was recently put on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Rjukan, which lies in a deep valley between high mountains, also became world famous when it for the first time ever “installed” winter sun in the town. By setting up a giant mirror in the town centre, the inhabitants could for the first time enjoy the sun during the winter months. Well worth a visit!
The hostel:
Gaustatoppen Hostel in itself also has an interesting history – it is run by 112 Danish families! The hostel used to be owned by an English earl, and was then bought by a large group of Danish families who used to come there to ski with their families. Danes don’t have a lot of skiing possibilities in their own country, to put it mildly, and many of them enjoy a trip to Norway to experience real mountain life. (That they jokingly call Norwegians mountain monkeys”, is another story…)
Book you stay at Gaustatoppen Hostel!
written by Ragna Skøien
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