Miland lies in Vestfjorddalen on the north bank of the Måna River, two kilometres upstream from its mouth at Tinnsjå. The village can be explored through three specific themes: its location by the water, the history of the Rjukan Railway, and its agricultural landscape. The bridge over the Måna, a named road route, and a section of the Pilgrim Path are also important for understanding the area.

The Måna and the Miland Bridge

The Miland Bridge crosses the Måna. Built in 1909, it is 41.4 metres long and constructed as a riveted steel truss bridge. The name describes its construction: steel forms the truss, and rivets join its components. The bridge brings together its construction date, dimensions, and design in a single structure. For those interested in the history of technology, it is a tangible link to Miland’s industrial past; its position over the Måna connects the engineering structure with the village’s riverside setting.

Traces of the Rjukan Railway

The Rjukan Railway had a stop in Miland, with a building designed by the architect Thvorld Astrup. The former station building was demolished in 1989. Miland also had a railway station on the Rjukan Railway until passenger services ended in 1970. The dates mark two different events: passenger services ended in 1970, and the former station building was demolished in 1989. The railway connection and its building can thus be understood as historical milestones that did not occur at the same time.

After an incident in 1926, when strong gusts of wind blew carriages off the tracks, a windbreak about 2 metres high and around 350 metres long was built near Miland. It adds a concrete example to the railway’s history of how the route’s wind conditions were addressed.

Agriculture and trails

Finds of cultural layers in Miland show that farming was practised there in earlier times. The Miland søndre farm is said to have been owned by the current family since 1591. A specific route through the landscape is Bergshaugsvegen: it is 2.1 kilometres long and leads from Milandvegen through farmland and woodland to the Berge farm. The route illustrates the transition between agricultural land and woodland.

The Pilgrim Path as a stage

The Pilgrim Path reaches Miland after 2.5 kilometres on the stage from Mæl Church to Dal Church. From Miland School, the path follows a footpath to the main road and then crosses the Måna River. The distances for the two routes answer different questions: 2.1 kilometres is the length of Bergshaugsvegen from Milandvegen to the Berge farm; 2.5 kilometres locates Miland on the stage between Mæl and Dal. As local access conditions may change, check the route before setting out.

Back to the main travel overview: Tinn.