The old Grungebru bridge makes Vinjesvingen a place where road-building history, art and the memory of 1940 come together. At the bridge, visitors enjoy the beautiful view by the water, looking up towards Grungedal and Haukeli. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing Vinjesvingen’s local highlights from the additional cultural attractions in the wider destination of Vinje.

The bridge’s history and how to find it

Grungebru was built around 1840. It followed a royal decree in 1837 calling for a new road from Brunkeberg to Gugarden in Haukeli. This timeline places the bridge within a specific 19th-century road-building project. For orientation: Vinjesvingen is a road junction on the E134, west of Vinje Church.

Art and the battles of 1940

The Smørklepp Art Museum has an extensive collection of paintings by Henrik Sørensen and Harald Kihle. Next to the museum building is Sørensenhytta, which opened and was renovated in summer 2023. It features exhibitions as well as a room with old furniture and objects that were moved here from Kyddingsmo in 2004. The Mjonøy–Smørklepp cultural trail is four kilometres long and leads to the museum at its upper end.

Vinjesvingen was the site of fighting between Norwegian and German troops during the 1940 campaign. The Telemark Infantry Regiment fought German troops from positions near Vinjesvingen until early May 1940 and took part in several engagements. During the occupation, the fighting took on symbolic significance as a sign of the importance of resisting the German occupying forces.

More cultural attractions in the wider destination of Vinje

In the wider destination of Vinje, the Forsvarsmuseet in Vinje focuses on the 1940 battles in Vinjesvingen and everyday life during the Second World War. It is open for guided tours during the summer season; outside the season, guided visits can be booked by arrangement. The Vinjesenteret in Vinje offers a different cultural focus: it is a museum of literature and journalism dedicated to Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Aslaug Vaa, Tarjei Vesaas and Halldis Moren Vesaas. Visitors can see exhibitions on literature and journalism, play games about evaluating sources, use a children’s trail and read in a reading corner. This literary focus complements Vinjesvingen’s local art and wartime history with a different subject area. In the wider destination of Vinje, Fløtarvegen follows Hyllandsfoss and showcases traces of timber floating, old stone walls, mills and power generation facilities.

Shopping and finding accommodation

A cultural trip through Vinje can include a stop at Vinjesvingen Handel, where you can buy local food and small goods from the surrounding area. Its range includes cheese, meat, baked goods and farm produce; the selection of individual products may vary.

Discover more destinations: Botn, Edland, Vinje, Rauland

Go to the main travel overview: Vinje.