Tinn: Fishing and railway history at Lake Tinn

Lake Tinn is 35 kilometres long, up to 2 kilometres wide and up to 460 metres deep. This makes it the third-deepest lake in Norway and Europe. Fishing and historic traces of railway transport are among the diverse themes that shape a stay in Tinn.

Fishing at Lake Tinn

Lake Tinn has good stocks of trout and Arctic char. Typical catches weigh between 300 grams and 3 kilograms. You can fish with a fly, bait, by trolling or using an otring rig. The fish are easiest to reach by boat, but are also caught from the shore.

Navigation lights and industrial heritage

Historic navigation lights along Lake Tinn guided the transport of the Rjukan Railway. They are part of the Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage Site, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 5 July 2015. Ten navigation lights remain at their original locations. An eleventh was moved during construction of the Tinnsjøveien road. The lights can be visited year-round and are part of excursions along the lakeshore and on the water.

Mæl Station, at the western end of Lake Tinn, is close to the destination and can be visited year-round. The station and ferry terminal cover 850 metres and are now a protected cultural park. This offers a specific place to explore the history of the transport link, while the navigation lights along the lake provide another perspective on the industrial heritage.

The railway ferries on the lake

The historic transport route of the Rjukan Railway across Lake Tinn included a 30-kilometre stretch by railway ferry. From 1956 to 1991, M/F Storegut was the largest vessel Hydro used in its transport chain across Lake Tinn. This period places the ship in the history of transport across the lake without equating the former transport link with today's excursion experience.

The railway ferry D/F “Ammonia”, built in 1929, is moored at the landing stage by historic Mæl on Lake Tinn. Its facilities included a café and its own post office; a crossing of the lake took two hours. The vessel was powered by two triple-expansion steam engines, each rated at 450 hp. It also had two boilers, each with a capacity of 20,000 litres. These technical details show the scale of the historic ferry technology.

The story of D/F “Hydro” is also part of the events at Lake Tinn: the railway ferry was sunk in the lake on 20 February 1944. Eighteen people lost their lives, including 14 Norwegians and 4 German soldiers. This tragic loss makes the history of transport a sobering part of engaging with the place.

Which focus suits your trip?

When choosing a holiday apartment in Tinn, you can first consider what you want your stay to focus on: fishing at Lake Tinn or the history of the navigation lights and railway ferries. If you would like to combine both, you will find a range of fishing methods as well as historic points of interest on and around the lake.

Discover more destinations

More places: Miland, Rjukan, Austbygdi and Hovin I Telemark.

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