Dalen is a tiny village at the western end of Telemarkskanalen, where lake Bandak narrows into a valley surrounded by steep mountains. The village sits at the bottom, and the only way out is up. Road 450 north towards Høydalsmo climbs through 7 hairpin bends, and the road south has 6 more. Road 36 west towards Setesdal is the gentler option. If you are driving a large motorhome, be aware of this before committing.
The village exists almost entirely because of the canal and its most famous building, the Dalen Hotel. The hotel opened in 1894, two years after the canal was extended to reach Bandak. It was designed by architect Haldor Larsen Børve in a mix of Swiss chalet style and Norwegian Dragestil, with dragon heads on the gables and elaborate woodwork everywhere. In its early years, it attracted European royalty: King Oscar II, Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Leopold II of Belgium, and later King Haakon VII all stayed here.
During World War II, German officers used the hotel as a resort and stripped most of the interior. It sat in disrepair for decades until a full restoration was completed in 1992. The work was good enough to win a Europa Nostra conservation award in 2000.
Apart from the hotel, there is not much in Dalen itself. The canal boat from Skien terminates here, and most visitors either turn around or continue by car into Vest-Telemark. About 20 minutes away is Ravnejuvet, a viewpoint 350 metres above a gorge that was already a tourist attraction when European royalty stayed at the hotel in the 1800s.
The village exists almost entirely because of the canal and its most famous building, the Dalen Hotel. The hotel opened in 1894, two years after the canal was extended to reach Bandak. It was designed by architect Haldor Larsen Børve in a mix of Swiss chalet style and Norwegian Dragestil, with dragon heads on the gables and elaborate woodwork everywhere. In its early years, it attracted European royalty: King Oscar II, Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Leopold II of Belgium, and later King Haakon VII all stayed here.
During World War II, German officers used the hotel as a resort and stripped most of the interior. It sat in disrepair for decades until a full restoration was completed in 1992. The work was good enough to win a Europa Nostra conservation award in 2000.
Apart from the hotel, there is not much in Dalen itself. The canal boat from Skien terminates here, and most visitors either turn around or continue by car into Vest-Telemark. About 20 minutes away is Ravnejuvet, a viewpoint 350 metres above a gorge that was already a tourist attraction when European royalty stayed at the hotel in the 1800s.