Where's the Light?

Summer is practically over. This very short season is followed by another short  season of colorful autumn when days begin to be shorter and temperatures begin a downward trend. We, here in the Midwest value these two seasons for warmth and beauty. Hardly a moment is wasted.

 It has been said that living in Norway makes Norwegians highly value summers  in their variety of outdoor activities. The idea is to store up as much happy sunshine as possible to last through the long and dreary winter. Our long winter nights are always relieved every morning by  light-filled days, however dreary. Can anyone imagine the long winter night lasting for days without the light of morning? It is typical for foreigners to be nervous about facing the dark winters in Norway.    

For those living above the Arctic Circle, there is a period of time when the sun doesn’t make it over the horizon. When the sun doesn’t appear for twenty-four hours, it is called a Polar Night. The higher you go above the Arctic Circle, the more Polar Nights there are. Tromsø, one of Norway’s northernmost cities  is 350 kilometres (217 miles) above the Arctic Circle and has sixty Polar Nights in a row. The largest differences  in Northern Norway is having midnight sun in the summer months and no sunshine at all during winter.

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Norwegian Exchange School students attending U.S. schools  speak of having to endure daily doses of cod liver oil during the winter season. It is firmly believed that cod liver oil helps the body replace the loss  of the sunlight, due to its oily content of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin D. Even though Norwegians eat a lot of fish products, it is normal for children and adults to have a spoonful of cod liver oil every day of the

year. This is preventative medicine taken to avoid winter SAD ( Seasonal Affective Disorder) , a winter depression that effects especially those living in the Nordic countries. Winter depression was actually discovered in the 6th century by the Gothic scholar Jordanes from his study of Scandza (Scandinavia).

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Winter SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance due to the  lack of sunlight. The main symptoms are tiredness and oversleeping, fatigue, a craving for sugary foods, feelings of sadness, guilt and a loss of self-esteem, irritability, and avoiding social and physical contact. Sound familiar? Norwegians are taught about this disorder in daily life, from family, in schools and by the government through TV campaigns. Awareness of winter SAD is a fact of life.Codliver oil, while unappetizing, is a necessity.

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Despite all the negative characteristics of winter,   Norwegians really enjoy the dark season. It is a time of celebration with Advent,  St Lucia Day, Christmas, Julebukk, New Years, and the end of Christmas party. And without darkness, you can not see the Northern Lights. Often bright lights, lightboxes, and candles are used to provide intense ilumination. Many methods are used to break the spell of the constant darkness.

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A very unusual solution to the constant darkness is being conducted in a Norwegian town called Rjukan. Rjukan was formerly a significant industrial centre in Telemark, and the town was established

between 1905 and 1916 when Norsk Hydro started saltpeter (fertilizer) production there. Rjukan was chosen because Rjukanfossen, a

Rjukanfossen

104-metre waterfall, provided easy means of generating large quantities of electricity. Norwegian industrialist Sam Eyde came to the area around a hundred years ago and began the mining industry in the community, but felt the dark nights of winter caused employees to be less productive. To alleviate the problem, a cable car was built to transport people to the sunlight.   

Krossobanen Cable Car

   This was the first ever cable car to be built in Northern Europe in 1928. The cable car was a gift from Norsk Hydro to the people of Rjukan so that they could get up high enough to see the sun during the winter. 

                    Rjukan is located by the Hardangervidda National Park, known for the famous Gaustatoppen Mountain.

Gaustappen with Rjukan in the valley

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Rjukan is located in a deep valley surrounded by mile-high mountains. While the rest of Northern Norway views a least a murky part of winter sun, the sunlight is not seen in Rjukan for several months due to the surrounding mountain shadows. The famous  Gaustatoppen Mountain effectively blocks the light during this murky period of winter from September until  sunlight  fully returns in March.
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 Norsk Hydro  opened in 1911 for the main purpose of  creating nitrogen for the production of fertilizer in nearby Vemmok. Nazi invaders converted the

isolated site to mass-produce heavy-water that was necessary to produce nuclear fission and  the creation of an atomic bomb.During World War II. Vemok was the target of Norwegian heavy-water sabotage operations resulting in the closing of the heavy water plant.  In 1988 the power station became the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum.

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Sam Eyde, Norwegian Industrialist.

In his time, Sam Eyde may have lacked funds to illuminate the city, but modern technology has improved and Rjukan citizens are continuing the efforts. Lately, strange lights are appearing from the tops of the mountain range. People are seeing bright shiny spots on the mountain  sides.

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A construction crew has removed trees to provide an uninterrupted line of sight from the sun to mirrors, then, the sunlight is  reflected from mirrors to the people below. After laying a concrete foundation on the slope a quarter-mile above the town, they have installed  three huge mirror panels flown in from Germany by helicopter .The completed mirror assembly will measure about 540 square feet and will redirect the winter sun into the town center.

 It will illuminate an elliptical area over 2150 feet square. Solar power will allow a computer in the town hall to track the movement of the sun with sensors on the installation.Controlled by computer, the mirrors (known as heliostats) will reposition themselves to automatically track the sun's movements, hopefully revitalizing the town during the dark winter months.

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 Nestled deep in a valley, gloomy Rjukan citizens never receive direct sunlight between September and March. The big test begins in September, when the angle of the sun begins the winter shadows over Rjukan..

 Soon they will be able to see the light!