Vrangfoss is the largest staircase lock on the Telemarkskanalen: five consecutive chambers that lift boats 23 metres between Lunde and Ulefoss. The lock system was completed in 1892 as part of the Bandak-Norsjø canal, built to get timber and goods from the interior of Telemark down to the coast. The name comes from the two kilometres of waterfalls and rapids that made this stretch impassable before the canal was blasted through the granite.
What makes Vrangfoss remarkable today is that nothing has been modernized. The lock masters still operate the heavy wooden gates by hand, exactly as they did in 1892. Watching a boat rise through all five chambers takes about 20 minutes, and the lock station has a cafe, Slusemesterens Veranda, right beside the chambers. It is the single most popular spot along the canal for spectators.
What makes Vrangfoss remarkable today is that nothing has been modernized. The lock masters still operate the heavy wooden gates by hand, exactly as they did in 1892. Watching a boat rise through all five chambers takes about 20 minutes, and the lock station has a cafe, Slusemesterens Veranda, right beside the chambers. It is the single most popular spot along the canal for spectators.