Designed by Thorvald Astrup, a 20th-century architect known for industrial projects inspired by both Italian cathedrals and the burgeoning functionalist movement, the Tysso 1 plant was constructed between 1906 and 1918. It is one of the country’s most significant industrial heritage sites, protected under historic monument legislation, and it is indeed beautiful. There are tours and exhibitions as well as visits to the nearby Ringedal dam and a group of preserved workers’ housing in Odda.
If you have reasonable fitness levels and appropriate shoes, you can climb the footpath used by the workers to reach the beginning of the pipeline at Lilletopp, 400m above the power station. There is also a small intake dam, the dam-watchers house, water tunnels and the huge waterpipes, not to mention spectacular views of the Sørfjord. Opplev Odda take guided climbs (Nkr750, including museum entrance) along via ferrata that replicate the experience of the workers who built the plant.
