HJARTDAL
MUNICIPALITY
In Viking times, the border to Hjartdal was the entrance to Telemark, marking the place where only the bold dared to tread. In Hjartdal you will find mysterious valleys, ancient protected structures, film locations without parallel.
OMNESFOSSEN – The Gateway to the Ancient Telemark. Trolls and thieves in deep forests, by the waterfalls and under the bridges.
Reveal.
HIDDEN VALLEY - The hidden valley of Bondal. Lonely roads on nature’s terms. Gaustatoppen, the Queen of the Norwegian Mountains presiding.
Remote.
MEDIEVAL FARMS – Ancient farmhouses and dwellings. The backdrop of timeless nature. Fantasy, mystery, and family.
Survive.
GOLDEN SECRET – The father hid the family gold, only his daughter knew. He died, his sons wanted the riches. The girl refused to tell, paying with her life. Gold still lies here. Betrayal.
THE BRIDGES OF HJARTDAL COUNTY - Over raging rivers deep in these dark forests, bridges meant the difference between life and death. The way home.
Refuge.
ISOLATION - Our finest moments can be when we are with ourselves.
Alone.
Here in Hjartdal, Omnesfossen was traditionally the entrance to the Ancient Telemark. On the south side of the river here, there was some sense of law and a semblance of order.
To the north, there lived honorable and hard-working farmers, mingling with legends of buried treasure, trolls, thieves and Vikings that lurked far back in the dark deep forests, by the rapids, next to the waterfalls and under the bridges.
Today, all is safe and accessible for you, just a stone's throw from Notodden, still with the perfect light and setting for the story that you are waiting to create as you click on any of these phots for more information and specific location.
It is all good here in The Wild Telemark.
Many hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the nomadic people of the arctic came over the Hardargervidda, the seemingly endless expanse rock and snow to the north.
Coming down from the high arctic desolation, they discovered the hidden valley of Bondal, 1,000 meters over sea level. Some of them moved on to the south to what would become Tuddal and Sauland and even Notodden.
But a few of them stayed and learned to survive in this high mountain valley overseen by the Queen of the Norwegian mountains - Gaustatoppen.
Lonely, isolated, perfect for creating your own film world. Your terms and your world as you explore with us. Click on any photo as you uncover more of the hidden valleys of Hjartdal.
Hjartdal is filled with legends and myths and true stories of real people in endless negotiation with nature and its forces as they built their lives and their farmhouses against the backdrop of the some of the most beautiful nature on the planet.
Now, ancient farmhouses stand as a proud statement to the courage and belief that hardships endured were offset by the timeless and wondrous nature all around.
Fantasy, mystery, survival. Adventures are waiting to be told here in these high valleys. Come and see the hidden places, we will take you there. Just say the word.
Our fixers will show you the way. But until then, click on any photo for more information about what you can discover in Hjartdal, with its hidden valleys and farms of The Wild Telemark.
A thousand years ago, there was a father. He had saved gold and things of value all of his life. He worked hard, he was honorable. He hid the family treasure, telling only his beautiful and loyal daughter the location of the gold, to save for the future of his family.
Then as all men must do, he died.
His sons wanted the riches for them, but the daughter refused to tell them. She paid with her life, and the gold still lies hidden here, somewhere in the upper reaches of Hjartal.
We don't know where the gold is hidden, but the story is there waiting for you, and we can show you the way. For now, learn a bit more as you explore the photographs with us.
Over raging rivers deep in these dark forests, bridges meant the difference between life and death. The way home to safety.
Visually stunning, waiting for stories to be told. Click on any photo for more information and specific location.
It is when we are alone that our true selves show. Hjartdal is a place of mystery, legend, fantasy and truth.
It is here that the famous uprising occurred in 1540 when the farmers here rose up against the authorities, an epic story still talked about to this day.
Here at the border to Seljord, there was not just one, but two planes crashed during the Second World War.
And of course, the Vikings and the trolls and the beautiful maidens are part of the stories handed down to this day.
Explore the photos us. Then, allow us to show you the way as you join us here in Hjartdal of The Wild Telemark.
