Sun-starved residents of a remote Norwegian village unveiled an ingenious mirror system Wednesday to bring natural light to their mountain valley home and liberate them from darkness that envelops them six months a year. Hundreds of villagers sporting sunglasses stared at three giant mirrors which were perched on a 400-metre (1,310-foot) mountain peak, eagerly waiting for sunlight to be deflected onto their little square.
It took a while, but the mirrors eventually delivered as the sun poked out from behind the clouds to deliver the first - far from dazzling - rays of early winter sunlight. The mountains surrounding Rjukan village have deprived its 3,500 inhabitants of direct sunlight for six months every year, until local artist Martin Andersen revived a century old idea to reflect it with mirrors. "From now we'll have a sun festival every day," he told AFP, referring to local celebrations which take place annually when the village finally emerges from darkness.
Despite strong initial reservations from some, five million kroner (615,000 euro, $849,000) was raised - 80 percent from sponsors - to install the three 17-square-metre (183-square-feet) mirrors now towering over Rjukan village. A computer ensures the mirrors follow the sun and reflect the light on the market square, lighting up a 600-square-metre (6,459-square-feet) area - nearly the size of three tennis courts. A similar system has been tried out in the small municipality of Viganella in northern Italy but a local official there said that once the initial enthusiasm died down, the tourist numbers also dwindled.