Kjærra Fossepark sits on the Numedals-Lågen, Norway's second-longest river, at Steinsholt in the former Lardal municipality. The park spans both banks where the river splits into two channels, the eastern and western falls, and was designated Lardal's official Millennium Site in 2000. A 132-metre bridge opened in 2001 connects the two sides, set against a backdrop of waterfalls, forest, and leaping salmon.
Salmon fishing at Kjærra has documented history back to 1388, making it one of Norway's longest continuously operated fishing sites. The method is ancient: three large piers built from log structures filled with stone are positioned to withstand the enormous water pressure, and between them a wooden trap funnels salmon as they leap the falls. This is the largest collection of traditional salmon fishing equipment in Norway. The traps and nets were carefully adapted over centuries to the specific currents and waterfall conditions. The facility operated without interruption until 1957, then fell into disrepair before being faithfully restored in 1992. During the season, the salmon trap is opened every Thursday, and visitors can often buy wild salmon on the spot.
The Numedals-Lågen was also a major timber-floating river. At peak operation, up to 150,000 cubic metres of timber were floated downstream yearly, the equivalent of around 4,000 truckloads. The waterfalls at Kjærra were a critical bottleneck and sorting point on this route. Timber floating on the river continued until 1979. The park includes outdoor art installations, a geological timeline path showing Earth's 4.5-billion-year development, and an Anagama ceramic kiln.
Salmon fishing at Kjærra has documented history back to 1388, making it one of Norway's longest continuously operated fishing sites. The method is ancient: three large piers built from log structures filled with stone are positioned to withstand the enormous water pressure, and between them a wooden trap funnels salmon as they leap the falls. This is the largest collection of traditional salmon fishing equipment in Norway. The traps and nets were carefully adapted over centuries to the specific currents and waterfall conditions. The facility operated without interruption until 1957, then fell into disrepair before being faithfully restored in 1992. During the season, the salmon trap is opened every Thursday, and visitors can often buy wild salmon on the spot.
The Numedals-Lågen was also a major timber-floating river. At peak operation, up to 150,000 cubic metres of timber were floated downstream yearly, the equivalent of around 4,000 truckloads. The waterfalls at Kjærra were a critical bottleneck and sorting point on this route. Timber floating on the river continued until 1979. The park includes outdoor art installations, a geological timeline path showing Earth's 4.5-billion-year development, and an Anagama ceramic kiln.
