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-