Rjukan

Rjukan (rēōˈkän) [key], town, Telemark co., S Norway, on the Rjukanfoss, one of several high waterfalls of the Måne River. Its large power stations supply electricity to saltpeter and chemical fertilizer factories. At nearby Vemork a plant for making heavy water was destroyed by Norwegian commandos (Feb., 1943) in World War II; this action helped prevent the Germans from manufacturing an atomic bomb. The plant was rebuilt after 1945.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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