The 9 Best Things to do in Tokke Municipality, Eastern Norway

Tokke is a paradise for those interested in nature photography, lying as it does in the middle of one of the most rich and varied environments for both plants and wildlife. The spectacular landscape which surrounds Dalen – the home of the Canal boats – welcomes you to an exciting adventure full of unique memories. Local guides will take you on a photo safari and help you find the perfect picture. • Photographers hide • Rent of lenses • Photo safari • “Perfect shot” guarantee

The Amdals Verk Copper Mines is a mining museum in Tokke that tells the history of the miners, their work, their lives and the mining process. Guided tours in the shafts. Amdals Verk Mines is also a local geology center. The mining area is surrounded by beautiful nature, trails and is rich in minerals. The museum is open in the summer season. Guided group tours on request the whole year.

To experience the rich cultural heritage and traditions of West Telemark, West Telemark MuseumEidsborg is an excellent place to start. The museum consists of a collection of more than 30 buildings, an open air museum with Norway’s oldest pagan wooden building from 1167, the famous Eidsborg stave church dated back to the 13th century and a new, modern museum building with several exhibitions. There are many blockhouse constructions among the buildings at the museum, a building technique still in use. The museum is situated by R45 next to Eidsborg stave church in the beautiful and dramatic landscape of Tokke. In the modern museum building, opened in 2012, there are magnificent exhibitions telling the history of the folk art and culture of Western Telemark. There are collections of beautiful pieces of traditional art on display like rosepainting, woodwork, knives, silver and textiles.

The sculptor Anne Grimdalen - best known for her work in decorating Oslo City Hall - grew up at Grimdalen. Today, Grimdalen is a protected country courtyard featuring houses from the middle ages and a sculptore house exhibiting works of Anne Grimdalen. Every summer, the exhibition of sculptures is supplemented with paintings by famous artists.

This small stave church is located close to West Telemark Museum, location Eidsborg. Take a guided journey through 800 years of history, and hear about the stave church and the changes in beliefs and conventions over this period. The church was dedicated to St. Nicolaus (locally called Nikuls), and a statue of this saint was very central in a local culture that remained well into the 1700s. The Eidsborg Stave Church is believed to be built between 1250 and 1270 and is one of the best preserved examples of 28 protected stave churches in Norway. This is quite a contrast to the Middle Ages when there were more than 1000 stave churches in the country. This unique building form is seen as Norway’s contribution to world architecture. In the summer months (June, July and August) there are guided tours to the church several times every day. Out of season the museum can organize guided tours by pre-booking.

In the old house at Dalen harbour is a sales exhibition with art and handcraft.

The Stakraft exhibit centre at Western Telemark Museum in Eidsborg is dedicated to the history of hydro power in Norway. Because of its significant drop height an potential water flow, the Tokke and Vinje river system was seen as one of the most favourable locations for a hydro power scheme in Southern Norway.