Rena is a small town at the junction of the Rena and Glomma rivers. It is best known as the starting point of the Birkebeinerrennet, the 54-kilometre cross-country ski race from Rena to Lillehammer that retraces the legendary 1206 rescue of the infant prince Håkon Håkonsson. Two Birkebeiner warriors carried the toddler over the mountains in the middle of winter to save him from rival factions. The race, held every March since 1932, draws over 10,000 skiers and is one of Norway's most iconic sporting events. In summer, the same route hosts the Birkebeinerrittet mountain bike race.
Rena Leir, one of Norway's largest military camps, is based here and houses the Telemark Battalion, the army's rapid reaction force. The camp was established during the Cold War and expanded significantly after the restructuring of the Norwegian military in the 2000s.
In 2011, Anders Behring Breivik rented a farm at nearby Åsta, just south of Rena. He registered a fake farming company to justify purchasing six tonnes of fertiliser: three tonnes for building the bomb, three tonnes of a harmless variety to avoid suspicion. He assembled the explosives largely unnoticed in the quiet countryside. On 22 July, he drove the bomb to Oslo and detonated it outside the government quarter, killing eight people, then travelled to Utøya where he murdered 69 more. It remains the deadliest attack in Norway since the Second World War. The farm has since been demolished.
Rena Leir, one of Norway's largest military camps, is based here and houses the Telemark Battalion, the army's rapid reaction force. The camp was established during the Cold War and expanded significantly after the restructuring of the Norwegian military in the 2000s.
In 2011, Anders Behring Breivik rented a farm at nearby Åsta, just south of Rena. He registered a fake farming company to justify purchasing six tonnes of fertiliser: three tonnes for building the bomb, three tonnes of a harmless variety to avoid suspicion. He assembled the explosives largely unnoticed in the quiet countryside. On 22 July, he drove the bomb to Oslo and detonated it outside the government quarter, killing eight people, then travelled to Utøya where he murdered 69 more. It remains the deadliest attack in Norway since the Second World War. The farm has since been demolished.