The Sun Mirror
The town of Rjukan stretches across the Vestfjord valley, a valley where the sun does not reach the bottom during the winter months. In mid-October, the sun disappears behind the mountains on the south side, and the town is in shade until mid-March.
Bookkeeper Oscar Kittelsen launched the idea of a sun mirror as early as 1913, and Rjukan’s founder Sam Eyde had a strong desire to make the sun mirror a reality. Unfortunately, with the technology of the time, it was not possible to do so, and it would take 100 years before the Sun Mirror became a reality.
Martin Andersen revisited the idea of the sun mirror in 2005, and in 2013 the Sun Mirror was finally unveiled! The Sun Mirror consists of three computer-controlled mirrors mounted on the mountain side, which reflect the sun’s rays down onto the town square.
– It’s easy to underestimate how much the sun actually means to people. The interesting thing about the Sun Mirror is that it’s both natural and artificial at the same time, and it’s an idea that people in the city had to have an opinion about. That’s why I like to call Solspeilet an art project.
Martin Andersen via Telemarkshistorier
Technical specifications
- Mounted in the mountains, 742 meters above sea level
- Each mirror is 17 m2
- The sunlight takes on an elliptical shape of approx. 600 m2 at the town square
- The solar power on the town square has an 80–100 % effect
Solfesten – a celebration of the sun’s return
The Sun Day is celebrated on March 12th, when the sun shines again on Fabrikkbrua in the west of the city. Slowly but surely, the sun’s rays reach larger parts of the city, and at the end of April we celebrate with a grand party in the city center. Solfesten has been a firm tradition in Rjukan since 1925.
A Sun Prince or Sun Princess is chosen to give a speech to the people, and the child born closest to March 12th becomes the Sun Child of the year. The Sun Prize is awarded to a person in Norway who spreads sunshine and joy to the Norwegian people, and previous winners include Lillebjørn Nilsen, Aud Schønemann, Jahn Teigen and Henriette Steenstrup.
The next Solfest will take place on Saturday, April 24th 2027 – travel to Rjukan and join the celebrations!
Solfesten through the years.
Pictures hentet from Solfesten – see more pictures here.
Plan your trip to Rjukan
