Telemarkskanalen Geocoin 2009 Silver

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Tracking Number: PCG6R3

Excellent 3-D work on the front with lots of attention to detail. The design is of one of the canal locks and a ship that is in one of the locks. The bottom rim has raised metal script that reads "2009" and the top rim has script that reads "Telemark".  The reverse has nice background metal texture.  There is a lot of raised metal script that has various waypoints along the canal.  There is lots of information about the canal which is done in dark blue enamel.

Info about coin:  The Telemark Canal was etched in the mountains well over 100 years ago, and when the canal was completed in 1892 the rest of Europe called it “the eighth wonder of the world". Five hundred men had worked for five years, blasting their way through the mountains. With a total of 28 lock chambers, the route was cleared from Skien to the ancient Norwegian town of Dalen, a sailing route of 105 km and with an elevation difference of 72 meters.

The Norsjø-Skien Canal with locks at Skien and Løveid is the elder of the two Telemark canals, built between 1854 and 1861. The idea of canalizing the Telemark watercourse was introduced as early as 1805, when political economist Christen Pram entertained the notion that to be able to sail up the waterfalls Klostefossen and Skotfossen would be a most welcome convenience. The construction of a canal at Løveid was sanctioned in 1844. The Bandak-Norsjø Canal, also called the Bandak Canal was built between 1887 and 1892. The idea of building a canal between Ulefoss and Strengen was the brainchild of Axel Borchgrevink, manager of the Norsjø-Skien Canal, and Sætren. Fourteen locks were built along the 17 kilometres of canal between Ulefoss and Strengen, giving a total ascent of 57 metres (over 150 feet). The locks at Vrangfoss Falls are most impressive and, in the words of Teknisk Ugeblad in 1892: "a work of art which will bear perpetual witness to the skill of our engineers; it is this feat of engineering that will to the traveller be most fascinating and memorable". The construction of the locks at Vrangfoss Falls and Hogga was both difficult and dangerous, but by June 1891, the canal was navigable by steamboat. The official opening took place on September 20, 1892. Most of the early traffic involved the transportation of stone from the quarries at Eidsberg in Lårdal. Regular steamer service was put into operation on the Telemark lakes in the mid-1800s. Before that, rowing was the only way of traversing these stretches of water. People could hire someone to row them, or they could rent a boat themselves. Inns along the watercourse provided accommodation for travellers. The longest stretches to row were divided into shifts. Transport between the lakes was either by horse or on foot. In 1851, the paddle steamer "Statsraad Stang" was launched at Fjærestrand in Solum and became the first steamship in regular service, operating between Fjærestrand and Tangen in Heddal. People were initially sceptical to this new means of transport that "smoked its way across the water", but their scepticism was soon replaced by growing confidence. In 1852, the paddle steamer "Sankt Olaf" was put into service on the Western lakes. The locks of the Norsjø-Skien Canal (opened in 1861) were too narrow for the wide paddles of the steamship, so a new propeller-driven ship, the "Amtmand Aall", was purchased. Two other ships were acquired in 1866 and 1870: the "Nordsjø" and the "Løveid". The "Victoria", built in Oslo and put into service in 1882, is still running. She has been partially rebuilt and is now a popular tourist attraction. Several companies operated on the Telemark lakes until the turn of the century. The "Inland" was considered the finest of the Telemark ships and had the honour of ferrying King Haakon when he visited the canal in 1912. Five shipping companies operated on the Telemark lakes at the end of the previous century, a situation which was not particularly practical. The solution was to merge the five companies into one, so the The Skien-Telemark Steamship Company was formed. Before the outbreak of World War I, this company alone ran twelve ships. In 1908, the steamship "Sand" was put into regular service between Skien and Skotfoss. These earliest ships were fuelled by wood; people living along the lakes were able to supplement their income by selling wood to the steamship companies. The ships had a first-class section towards the stern, with red plush-upholstered seats. Those travelling second class had to make do with bare wooden benches in the bow. Goods were loaded and unloaded using a winch. The crew usually comprised the captain, first mate, engineer, stoker and deck hands. Icebreakers were used during winter to clear lanes through the ice. The steamers often had to push from behind, positioning their bows in a special wooden block at the stern of the icebreaker and lending their steam power to the task of crushing the ice. By 1957, motor cars had become so common that it was uneconomical to run a passenger service on the waterways, and all regular services were discontinued. In 1961, however, the company "A/S Turisttrafikk" was formed, offering tourist trips on the waterways from Skien to Dalen. After undergoing a thorough overhaul and modernization, the "D/S Victoria" was, in 1963, brought back into service on this route. The annual number of passengers has steadily increased, and there are now several boats operating on the Telemark Canal.