Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site
Fear of food shortages at the beginning of the 20th century meant that there was a market for making artificial fertilisers. Entrepreneur Sam Eyde and Professor Kristian Birkeland developed a new method for the industrial production of fertiliser. Together with the Swedish bank director Markus Wallenberg, they established Norsk Hydro in 1905. Today, Yara International continues the legacy of Norsk Hydro’s fertiliser production.
Norsk Hydro established fertiliser production in Rjukan and Notodden, and today the sites stand as prominent examples of the second industrial revolution. This phase of industrial development is often characterised by the fact that electric power is used as an energy source for power-intensive electrochemical processes.
The world heritage values at the sites are made up of 97 objects in four categories. Alongside impressive power plants and factory facilities, the world heritage also consists of the urban communities with the social housing that was built and the transport route from Notodden to Rjukan. The exhibition is built around these themes.
