Rjukan is a city and administration center in Tinn municipality
in Vestfold and Telemark county. The town is located in
Vestfjorddalen, halfway between Møsvatn and Tinnsjå, and is named
after Rjukanfossen ("the smoking waterfall") west of the town. The
place was originally called Saaheim, but in 1912 the new town was
named Rjukan by Tinn county council. Tinn municipal council approved
the city status for Rjukan in 1996. The city has 3,101 inhabitants
as of 1 January 2020. The nearest cities are Notodden (75 km) and
Kongsberg (88 km). Byelva Måna flows through the city, all the way
down to Tinnsjøen which is part of the Rjukan watercourse. Work is
now being done on water levels up the entire river. Rjukan is
located in Eastern Norway and is the region's 33rd largest city out
of 37 cities.
Rjukan is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Enrolled at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's 39th session in
Bonn as Rjukan - Notodden Industrial Heritage 5 July 2015.
Norsk Hydro began power and industrial development on the site in
1907. In 1910, Rjukan had more than 2,000 inhabitants, in 1920 more
than 8,000 and in 1960 more than 6,500. Rjukan is considered one of
the first cities in Norway to be planned from the ground up and
designed by architects. Even the mailboxes and park benches were
specially designed.