CME Expedition 13

Location: Skien, Norway.
Members: 001, 004.
Type: Industrial, Waterworks (?).
Status: Active.

Sometimes, when i'm headed up into the county of Telemark I stop the car a little northwest of Skien city and take a leak at this location. I have seen the weird looking structure there several times before and always wondered what it was, but I have never had the camera with me until now. Caveman 004 and I were out spelunking one day after work, and decided to have a closer look at this place. Once there we parked the car and scanned the area for potentially curious onlookers. There seemed to be none, so we carried on down to the structure itself.

The back side of this thing, whatever it may be is right next to the main road. (You can just catch a glimpse of the car parked behind the tree on the left hand side.) Anyway, we surfed on down the little slope in the picture, almost falling headlong when tripping over some roots. Once in front of the entrance I noticed something different from when I was here last a few weeks earlier, namely the small red stickers that are present on the door. They gave some insight into who ran this place, but posed some new questions as well.

The first sign carries the logo of Herøya Industrial Park. Ok, so they run this place we figure, but it still didn't offer any clue as to what this place was or why it was here. Sign number two warns of alarms directly linked to the police and that access is restricted to the personel of Herøya Industrial Park. While talking back and forth about what this place could be, we headed on over to the second structure on the site.

Structure number two also bears the same stickers on the door, so we got confirmation that they are related. This one seems to lead under the road behind it. To get an impression of size and depth, 004 went over and shouted through the horisontal openings in the door only to hear the echo ring back out, so it seems this goes quite a stretch in behind the door. Considering the newly discovered fact that this was industry related, combined with the fact that we had a lake behind us, we decided to look for a water intake. We had a working theory that this could be some power generating facility, but we were no where near a waterfall so this would be strange if true. Either way, after a few minutes looking about the site, we did however find old signs warning of danger due to a water intake from the lake. This in itself posed new questions.

While looking for info on the web now, maps of properties and buildings identify this property as owned by the municipality of Skien, and the structure itself is identified as "other preparedness building." The strange thing is that Herøya Industrial Park is located in the neighboring municipality. There is about 10km (6,5 miles) between this place and Herøya Industrial Park. If they generate power here, where are the power lines leading back out of it? Are there tunnels transporting the power all the way (10km!!) through the mountain? (Not very likely!). What are they doing here? We took our photos and got back in the car even more puzzeled than when we came. Maybe we'll figure it out one day..

"UPDATE": Just found out that the company Hydro that first built industry at the place now called Herøya Industrial Park actually did build a 10 km long tunnel through the mountain to maintain a supply of fresh water for their industrial processes..10 KM!! Wow..that makes me even more curious..  

-Caveman 001-

CME Expedition 11

Location: Skien, Norway.
Members: 001, 002, 003.
Type: Industrial, Waterworks.
Status: Semi-Active Area.

First off, the city of Skien is located right between an inland waterway and a river that runs to the sea. This geographical position has given Skien the basis for growth. It has been settled for a very long time, some speculate that it could be one of the oldest densely settled areas in Norway. Excavations in the center of town during the late 70's indicated that it has been an urban area atleast as far back as 1000 AD. (As urban as you could get back then, that is.) Either way..you can read up on the early history yourself.

Fast foreward a few hundred years to the 1500's and Skien is rapidly beginning to industrialise. Extensive mining is started north-west of the city along with ironworks and everything that goes with it. (You could already tell we are going to explore those mines later on, couldn't you?) In the rest of Europe there is also a growing need for timber, cities burn to the ground and thus need to be rebuilt. Trading across the seas is expanding, so huge merchant fleets are being created. Norway, and Telemark in particular has lots of deep forests, so naturally (no pun intended) there is money to be made. Keeping this in mind, Skien being located right where these two waterways meet is in a very strategic position. The inland waterway is slightly more elevated than the river to the sea, so there are lots of waterfalls..perfect locations for sawmills. And there were lots!! So the timber would be floated down to Skien from the depths of Telemark, treated at the sawmills, before being shipped of to foreign markets. Skien, with all of it's sawmills, sawdust, timber, planks and so forth has been very prone to fire and has burned to the ground and rebuilt countless times. The map below gives you an impression of the area, although it's hard to overstate the completely changed nature of the landscape since then.

Map of Skien from 1681.

As a result of all the activity, building, rebuilding, drilling holes, infills, digging holes, carving out of tunnels and so on during the last 500 years..this former industrial area of Skien now offers a plenthora of tunnels and things to be discovered. We have only been here once, taking a quick peek, getting a feel of the area..but we will be back, because there are lots to be discovered and to learn here. I'll stop writing now, and just hit you with a few tunnel pics..

 

 

 

-Caveman 001-

CME Expedition 9

Location: Skien, Norway.
Members: 004.
Type: Industrial/Waterworks?
Status: Partly Active.

I think I'll just have to start with this shot right here.

We've had a lot of theories about what might be hiding behind this hatch. Hinges to the left and a solid lock to the right.

I believe this might be a little lower than the hatch in the previous picture. It's located in the area behind the hatch on the opposite side of the mountain, with quite a simple wooden door. But still..just as locked as the hatch.

Yet more locks and fencing around the surrounding area by the door. Might have been cheaper to put up the fence insted of securing the hole with a proper metal door.

Large motors of some sort. Located inside the fenced off area by the door. Turning to the right reveals tunnels stretching further into the mountain behind a shopping mall in the center of town.

-Caveman 004-