VEMORK

'Vemork' is the name of an old hydro electrical power plant in Norway, named after the area where it is situated - close to the town of Rjukan in Tinn municipality, in the county of Telemark.
In 1906 Norsk Hydro started construction of what was to be the world's largest hydro electrical powerplant at Vemork. In 1911, construction was complete. The plant itself was built to power a factory producing artificial fertilizer by a new method invented by Kristian Birkeland. Later, Norsk Hydro modernized their production method where heavy water was a by-product.
During the German occupation of Norway in World War II, the heavy water production plant was sabotaged by SOE in order to prevent the Germans from making an atomic bomb. It was, however, later discovered that the Germans were not as close to making an atomic bomb as was initially feared.
Today the original powerplant is an industrial museum. The exhibitions cover both the heavy water sabotage and the early Norwegian labour movement. The location of the former powerplant is .

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A Norwegian movie about the sabotage operation against the heavy water powerplant was made after World War II, starring several of the original saboteurs. Later, in 1965, director Anthony Mann made an English version entitled ''The Heroes of Telemark'', starring Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris.
In 2003, British survival expert Ray Mears made a BBC documentary series and book called the Real Heroes of Telemark giving a more realistic view of the difficulties encountered in the mission to sabotage the heavy water powerplant.

External links

★ The museum at Vemork - official website

★ Rjukan's local tourist office

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★ Pickture of Vemork