The Begna is a river in
Viken and
Innlandet
Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The n ...
counties in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The long river runs from the
Filefjell mountain area through
Valdres
Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slid ...
to the town of
Hønefoss
__NOTOC__
Hønefoss is a List of cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østl ...
where it joins the river Randselva before it empties into the
Tyrifjorden
Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) is a lake in Norway. It lies northwest of Oslo and is the nation's fifth largest lake with an area of 139 km2. It has a volume of 13 km3, is 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level. ...
. The river Begna drains a
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
of and this is the primary river in the watershed. Along its course, the river passes through the village of
Begna in
Sør-Aurdal Municipality
Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn. Other villages in the municipality include Begna, Hedal ...
. The Norwegian writer,
Mikkjel Fønhus lived much of his life and located most of his novels along the river Begna.
Course
The headwaters of the river is found in the
Filefjell mountain plateau on the south side of the
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, i ...
mountains. Among the highest points of the headwaters are the lake Steinurdalstjern which sits at an elevation of above sea level. Many of the mountain streams that feed into the river flow into the lake
Otrøvatnet. The main outflow of the lake is where the river Begna begins. This part is also known as the
Otrøelva The Otrøelva river is a small river in Innlandet, Norway, that originates from headwaters in the Filefjell mountains to Lake Vangsmjøse. It is a part of the Begna river watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in oth ...
river, and a short distance downstream the river
Ylja joins it and after this
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...
, the river is known as the Begna. The river continues eastwards and southwards along its course.
There are several places along the river which have been
dammed and these have formed a number of large lakes including
Vangsmjøse
Vangsmjøse (also spelled as ''Vangsmjøsa'' or ''Vangsmjøsi'') is a lake in Vang Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake has an area of and it has a maximum depth of about deep. A local myth says that if a raw ham is lowered into ...
,
Slidrefjorden,
Strondafjorden, and
Aurdalsfjorden. The valley through which the river flows is called the
Begnadalen valley. After passing through the village of
Begna, the river enters into
Viken county. After passing the village of
Nes, the river enters the large lake
Sperillen in the
Ã…dal
Ã…dal is a valley in the municipality of Ringerike and was a former municipality in Buskerud County, Norway.
The municipality was created in 1857 by a split from Norderhov. At that time Ã…dal had a population of 2,382. On 1 January 1964 Ã…dal wa ...
valley. From the lake Sperillen to the town of
Hønefoss
__NOTOC__
Hønefoss is a List of cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østl ...
, the river is also known as the ''Ådalselva''. At Hønefoss, the river cascades down a tall waterfall known as ''Hønefossen''. The river Begna joins the Randselva river in Hønefoss before discharging into the large lake
Tyrifjorden
Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) is a lake in Norway. It lies northwest of Oslo and is the nation's fifth largest lake with an area of 139 km2. It has a volume of 13 km3, is 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level. ...
.
HonefossBegnaJernbane.jpg, Begna in Hønefoss
Honefossen 06.07.2007-003.JPG, Honefossen in Hønefoss
Power generation
In the past, the river Begna was a significant
log driving
Log driving is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America.
His ...
river. Over the years the river has been developed for
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined a ...
with a maximum output of approximately (as of 2003) including on its tributaries. The largest power stations are Åbjøra in
Nord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town Fagernes. Other urban centres in Nord-Aurdal include the villages of Au ...
which produces and Bagn in Sør-Aurdal which produces .
The Association for Begna Watershed Control () is an association that was created under the provisions of the Norwegian Watercourse Act. Its purpose is to protect members' common interests with regard to the use of water from the Begna river basin that is used for power generation. The hydropower company operates 20 power plants on the Begna (and the river
Drammenselva which flows from the lake
Tyrifjorden
Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) is a lake in Norway. It lies northwest of Oslo and is the nation's fifth largest lake with an area of 139 km2. It has a volume of 13 km3, is 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level. ...
to the sea. The association is responsible for maintenance and operation of dams, gates, and stations along the Begna waterway. The plants are mainly located in
Valdres
Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slid ...
in the upper part of the river.
See also
*
List of rivers in Norway
References
{{use dmy dates, date=August 2022
Rivers of Viken
Rivers of Innlandet
Valdres
Rivers of Norway