The Begna is a river in Buskerud and Innlandet counties in Norway . The 213-kilometre (132 mi) long river runs from the Filefjell mountain area through Valdres to the town of Hønefoss where it joins the river Randselva before it empties into the Tyrifjorden . The river Begna drains a watershed of 4,875 square kilometres (1,882 sq mi) and this is the primary river in the watershed. Along its course, the river passes through the village of Begna in Sør-Aurdal Municipality . The Norwegian writer, Mikkjel Fønhus lived much of his life and located most of his novels along the river Begna.
24-534: The headwaters of the river is found in the Filefjell mountain plateau on the south side of the Jotunheimen mountains. Among the highest points of the headwaters are the lake Steinurdalstjern which sits at an elevation of 1,429 metres (4,688 ft) above sea level. Many of the mountain streams that feed into the river flow into the lake Otrøvatnet . The main outflow of the lake is where the river Begna begins. This part
48-564: A double-name as "file" is thought to be derived from Old Norse word Fjáll , the same root that evolved into the modern word "fjell". Thus Filefjell in English would be "Mountain-Mountain". Filefjell stretches from Lærdal Municipality in the eastern part of Vestland county, at the innermost part of the Sognefjorden , to Vang Municipality in Valdres in the western part of Innlandet county. In
72-540: Is also known as the Otrøelva river, and a short distance downstream the river Ylja joins it and after this confluence , the river is known as the Begna. The river continues eastwards and southwards along its course. There are several places along the river which have been dammed and these have formed a number of large lakes including Vangsmjøse , Slidrefjorden , Strondafjorden , and Aurdalsfjorden . The valley through which
96-542: Is an association that was created under the provisions of the Norwegian Watercourse Act. Its purpose is to protect members' common interests with regard to the use of water from the Begna river basin that is used for power generation. The hydropower company operates 20 power plants on the Begna (and the river Drammenselva which flows from the lake Tyrifjorden to the sea. The association is responsible for maintenance and operation of dams, gates, and stations along
120-422: Is nowadays used mostly in recreational activities. Fishing , hunting , hiking and skiing are popular. Many holiday cottages have been built the last 30 years. Several hotels are used by tourists who come to ski in the mountain or in the downhill skiing park. European route E16 54°59′38″N 7°19′34″W / 54.994°N 7.326°W / 54.994; -7.326 European route E16
144-487: Is rarely closed due to wind or snow, making it the most reliable of the mountain passes in Norway. On both sides of the valley the terrain climbs steeply up to plateaus, with rolling hills and numerous lakes at sitting at elevations of about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft). The highest peak of the range is Sulefjellet at 1,812 metres (5,945 ft). The biology of Filefjell is the same as most other Norwegian mountain areas. In
168-640: Is the designation of a main west-east road through Northern Ireland , Scotland , Norway and Sweden , from Derry to Gävle , via Belfast , Glasgow , Edinburgh , previously by ferry to Bergen , Voss , through the Gudvanga Tunnel and the Lærdal Tunnel (the world's longest road tunnel), Lærdal , over Filefjell to Fagernes , Hønefoss , Gardermoen and Kongsvinger . In Sweden, it passes Malung , Falun and ends in Gävle . In Northern Ireland, it follows
192-944: The A6 from Derry to Randalstown , then the M22 and M2 to Belfast . In Scotland, it follows the M8 from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The E16 meets the E1 and E18 in Belfast, the E5 in Glasgow , the E15 in Edinburgh. European routes are not signposted in the UK. There is no ferry any more between the United Kingdom and Norway. The E16 is the main road between Norway's two largest cities Oslo and Bergen, and
216-522: The E4 . There is no customs control at the Norway-Sweden border (but there is video surveillance), meaning that transports needing to be declared for customs, including most lorries, must be pre-cleared. The road number E16 was introduced in Norway in 1992, between Bergen and Oslo. The road Bergen–Oslo was called E68 in the old E-road system from 1950. In 1975, a new system was decided, where E16 only went through
240-518: The Iron Age . Burial Mounds from the same period are also found here. The Filefjell Kongevegen (The Kings Road) is the name of the old trail over Filefjell. Due to the sometimes wet and marshy land in the valley bottom, the old trail runs farther up in the hill than the modern asphalt-road does today, and is still used for hiking . It has its name after king Sverre I of Norway who traveled here with his army. The road got official status as main road in
264-565: The hov was transformed into a church but the traditions remained mostly unchanged. Little is known of this until the 17th century when the church was upgraded. People started to believe that the church had healing power, and that sinners had a better chance of getting absolution here. People started to come here in great numbers for the Mass on July 2. But the main attraction was the market, where herring and other sea products were traded for inland products like fur . Horse trading were also part of
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#1732876235584288-616: The Begna waterway. The plants are mainly located in Valdres in the upper part of the river. Filefjell Filefjell is a mountainous area in Norway . It is located between Lærdal in the Vestland county and Valdres in Innlandet county. It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking Western Norway and Eastern Norway . The European route E16 highway passes through Filefjell. Filefjell or sometimes Fillefjell, might be
312-814: The Randselva river in Hønefoss before discharging into the large lake Tyrifjorden . In the past, the river Begna was a significant log driving river. Over the years the river has been developed for hydroelectric power with a maximum output of approximately 326 megawatts (437,000 hp) (as of 2003) including on its tributaries. The largest power stations are Åbjøra in Nord-Aurdal which produces 93 megawatts (125,000 hp) and Bagn in Sør-Aurdal which produces 76 megawatts (102,000 hp). The Association for Begna Watershed Control ( Foreningen til Bægnavassdragets Regulering )
336-507: The United Kingdom (Londonderry–Edinburgh), and Bergen–Oslo was called E136. This was changed after several revisions of the agreement. In 2011, it was decided to extend E16 from the Oslo region eastwards through Kongsvinger , Torsby , Malung , Borlänge to Gävle in Sweden. The signposting took place in the autumn of 2012. A large road construction project was finished in 1992 when a new routing
360-498: The main valley, birch and species of salicaceae grows up to elevations of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). Higher up, the landscape can be described as a tundra where moss and different forms of ericaceae dominate the landscape. Grouse , hare , fox , and the occasional wolverine and moose are found. Filefjell also has numerous wild reindeer . In the 1990s, someone attempted to start reindeer herding in Filefjell, but
384-405: The market. Drinking, fighting, gambling, rape and murder were not uncommon in these markets. It is said that when the wives packed for their husbands going to the market, they also packed their funeral-shirts. In 1808 the priests were so angry with the ungodly activities that they demanded the church to be torn down and the market was banned. A modern church were built at the site in 1971. Filefjell
408-510: The north, it borders the western part of the Jotunheimen mountain range. To the south, it meets with the Buskerud county border. The European route E16 crosses the mountain and reaches its highest point at the 1,013-metre (3,323 ft) Varden. The road follows a valley through the mountainous area, and because of this is somewhat protected from the fierce weather of the Norwegian winter. The road
432-465: The only mountain pass between Oslo and Bergen that is rarely closed due to snowstorms and blizzards (it goes below the tree line ). Outside winter, Route 7 is at least as popular between Oslo and Bergen, since it is shorter. There are some other options, such as the road through Hemsedal . The E16 is narrow at many places in Norway, although upgrades are being built. The E16 is 630 kilometres (390 mi) long in Norway. The E16 has three end points, on
456-535: The project was later abandoned. Some of the reindeer herd, which was moved down from Trøndelag , was left to mix with the native reindeer. The lakes are populated by trout . People have used Filefjell since the Stone Age . Reindeer hunters dug systems of pits to catch their pray and these can still be seen. Arrow heads from the same period have also been found. Smedalen is the main valley in Filefjell. The name means The Smith Valley and evidence of Iron production in
480-506: The river flows is called the Begnadalen valley. After passing through the village of Begna , the river enters into Viken county. After passing the village of Nes , the river enters the large lake Sperillen in the Ådal valley. From the lake Sperillen to the town of Hønefoss , the river is also known as the Ådalselva . At Hønefoss, the river cascades down a 21.5-metre (71 ft) tall waterfall known as Hønefossen . The river Begna joins
504-413: The summer. Goats , cows and sheep are herded in the rich mountain pastures and goat cheese is still sold in some places. In the middle of Smedalen, at Kyrkjestølen, St. Thomas Church stands. It is believed to have been built on a pagan temple . This site was the meeting place for people from Sogn , Valdres and Hallingdal , who met to perform midsummer blót and trade. When Christianity came
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#1732876235584528-722: The western end it meets the E39 in Bergen , near Hønefoss one spur turns south and meets the E18 at Sandvika , another spur goes east and meets the E6 at Gardermoen before continuing on to the Swedish border at Lundersæter . E16 is 360 kilometres (220 mi) long in Sweden. E16 runs starts at the border with Norway near Vittjärn and runs together with the E45 between Torsby and Malung. E16 ends in Gävle where it meets
552-462: The year 1791. Maristova (built on Queen Margrete's command around 1390) and Nystuen in Vang (first mentioned in 1627 but believed to be much older) guesthouses provide for travelers along the road. The hosts of the shelters were compensated by the king to aid travelers and provide shelters for those who used the road. This lasted until 1830. In Smedalen there has been, and still is, dairy farming in
576-479: Was opened almost all the way between Bergen and Voss. A further large project were the tunnels between Gudvangen and Lærdal which total around 43 km (27 mi), including the Lærdal Tunnel (the world's longest road tunnel), finished in 2000. In 2003–2017, the road from Lærdal and over the mountain pass was improved with five new tunnels of over one kilometre (0.62 mi) length, improving road quality and winter predictability. In 2024, Finland proposes that
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