Gausta Skisenter

In late November 1870 a French gas balloon with two officers landed at the Lifjell mountain near Seljord lake. The two men were carrying mail and important military messages from inside Paris under German siege. The men original had no idea where they had landed as the wind had shifted the balloon swiftly across the North Sea during darknes. Winter had begun in the mountains and the lightly dressed officers were rescued by local lumberjacks. This was the first air travel in Norway and the two French officers were a major sensation in Norway. They eventually delivered their mail but too late to coordinate a French attack. A memorial stone can be seen on the hills above Seljord lake. The balloon blew further north but was rescued and can be seen in the Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo.