RideNorway is counting down to Winter Solstice with trip planning tips and trivia!
23 December: Top 3 fun facts about Norway
We have our oddities and funny facts about this country too. Here are our top 3 fun facts about Norway:
C3PO at Finse. (Image: starwarsplaces.com)
1. The Battle of Hoth was filmed at Finse
In Star Wars – Episode V (film two in old trilogy, for the SW fans out there) – you would see the Rebellion HQ at the snowy planet of Hoth being attacked by the Empire. These epic scenes were filmed only a few hundred meters away from the railway station of Finse, a stop along the Oslo – Bergen train tracks. Legend has it that no taun-taun has been observed in the area since.
They have even provided proper stops inside the tunnel so you can take your photos.
2. The World’s longest road tunnel is in Norway
You know you want to ride it: The 24.5 km/15.2 mi long Laerdal Tunnel not very far from Bergen is the longest road tunnel in the world. It opened in 2000 after five years of construction, and pushed the Swiss Gotthard Tunnel down from the throne. A special ride indeed.
Huuuuuge structure!
3. The largest object ever moved by man was moved in Norway
The Troll A gas production platform is the largest object ever moved by humans. The platform is 472 meters high – of which 369 under water – and weighs about 656 million kgs. This huge structure is two times heavier than Empire State Building in NY City, and the underwater part of Troll is exactly the height of Empire State Building top floor. Troll A is mostly a concrete structure that contains reinforcing steel corresponding to 10 times the entire Eiffel tower.
