Description:
The Telemark Canal connects the towns of Skien and Porsgrunn with Dalen. When it was opened in 1892 it was promoted as being the most spectacular waterway in Europe. It was used for both timber and domestic transport as well as for tourism. As transport over land became predominant, the trade on the canal declined rapidly and it lost its role as a main communication route. The locks and structures became derelict and due to high running cost and the amount of money required for maintenance it was proposed to close the canal down. However, as the Telemark Canal was considered a unique technical and historical monument, pressure by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage and by the public opinion resulted in the creation of a committee to make a report of the situation. A support association for the preservation of the canal was formed and with the great effort of the County of Telemark and of volunteers the whole canal system, with locks, piers, related buildings and boats, was restored at a cost of investments of 130 million Norwegian kroner. The canal is now the main axis in Telemark's Summer tourist attractions.