Finse
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We are now stopping at Finse station which at 1222 metres above sea level is the country’s highest railway station and the only one without a utility connection. Since the opening of the Bergen line Finse has been bustling, its rugged and wild nature makes it a popular tourist destination. In the station you can find both the Rallar museum with exhibitions about the Bergen line’s construction and operation and the Hotel Finse 1222. By 1909 the first hotel had already opened in Finse and in 1914 Norway’s first indoor ice rink was opened here. It was here that the legendary Sonja Henie trained her way to numerous Olympic gold medals for figure skating. Henie won her first Norwegian championship at the age of 10 and at the first winter Olympics in Chamoniox in 1924, she finished in 8th place, she was just 11 years old. Today there are only a handful of people who live in Finse, but in earlier times there were as many as 200 permanent residents. The popular hotel Finse 1222, since its establishment in 1909 has welcomed many prominent cigar smoking guests. The guest list includes Kings, Princes and other celebrities from around the world. Fear not if Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leah should pop up on the train with their light sabres. They are just participants in one of the nostalgia events that take place in Finse. In fact, large parts of the fifth film in the Sky Wars series “The Empire Strikes Back” were actually filmed here in 1980.