Hjartdal is the original parish village of Hjartdal municipality, though it lost its role as administrative centre to Sauland in 1860. The village sits in a narrow valley in upper Telemark, surrounded by forested hills and farmland.
Until 2019, the E134 ran through here. Then the 9.35-kilometre Mælefjelltunnelen opened, bypassing both Hjartdal entirely. The tunnel replaced 22.6 km of the old road with 11.7 km of new road, saving trucks 18 minutes. The village is now on the old road, which you still need to take if you want the scenic shortcut through Åmotsdalen to Rauland. That road is narrow with tight curves; not recommended for large motorhomes.
Hjartdal church was built in 1809, replacing a medieval stave church on the same site. By the church stands a memorial stone erected in 1990 for the farmer uprising of 1540. After the Reformation transferred church property to the Danish-Norwegian king, farmers in upper Telemark were forced to provide labour and goods for the royal mines at Sundsbarm. Combined with new taxes, this pushed the previously independent farmers to rebel. The uprising was crushed after the king's forces promised peace negotiations, then broke the truce. Five of the six leaders were beheaded at the rectory; the sixth was forced to serve as executioner. The field where it happened is still called Bråråker, Blood Field.
Every September, Hjartdal hosts the Slåttefestivalen, a festival built around the Norwegian Championship in scythe mowing. It draws over 500 visitors a day and competitors from across the country.
Until 2019, the E134 ran through here. Then the 9.35-kilometre Mælefjelltunnelen opened, bypassing both Hjartdal entirely. The tunnel replaced 22.6 km of the old road with 11.7 km of new road, saving trucks 18 minutes. The village is now on the old road, which you still need to take if you want the scenic shortcut through Åmotsdalen to Rauland. That road is narrow with tight curves; not recommended for large motorhomes.
Hjartdal church was built in 1809, replacing a medieval stave church on the same site. By the church stands a memorial stone erected in 1990 for the farmer uprising of 1540. After the Reformation transferred church property to the Danish-Norwegian king, farmers in upper Telemark were forced to provide labour and goods for the royal mines at Sundsbarm. Combined with new taxes, this pushed the previously independent farmers to rebel. The uprising was crushed after the king's forces promised peace negotiations, then broke the truce. Five of the six leaders were beheaded at the rectory; the sixth was forced to serve as executioner. The field where it happened is still called Bråråker, Blood Field.
Every September, Hjartdal hosts the Slåttefestivalen, a festival built around the Norwegian Championship in scythe mowing. It draws over 500 visitors a day and competitors from across the country.