A unique experience inside the secret mountain
Gaustabanen carries passengers to Gaustatoppen, a mountain near Rjukan that rises 1,883 metres above sea level and is renowned for its panoramic views. When customers disappeared and revenue fell due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company recognised the need to adapt its offering for new target groups.
Grants for the tourism industry
We provided a grant that enabled the company to carry out its transformation project. Silje Sterner, an adviser at our Vestfold and Telemark office, is impressed by the company's innovative thinking.
'Gaustabanen has used a challenging period to develop a unique and exciting concept. This is a good example of a company preparing for the future while preserving and enhancing an important part of our history,' she says.
The concept features activities and experiences linked to 'The Secret Mountain'. The railway was originally built as part of a secret NATO facility that opened in 1959 and remained completely closed to the public until 2010. You may wonder what went on inside one of Norway's best-known mountains all those years – and that is precisely what the company aims to reveal.
Participants become part of the drama
Drawing on the Gaustabanen railway's history as a strategic and secret facility, visitors embark on a dramatic journey in which they play an active part. Compelling stories bring the Cold War to life, and participants can enjoy a three-course dinner served in the former listening and communications room inside Mount Gaustatoppen. Available in both Norwegian and English, the experience is primarily aimed at school groups, families and businesses looking for something out of the ordinary.
'Our support has been crucial in making this transformation possible, and the offering for the course and conference market is a direct result of the investments,' says Halvor Haukaas, Managing Director of Gaustabanen.
The concept is called Top Secret Mission. Gaustabanen's own staff play the role of the major in 'The Secret Mountain', bringing the story to life through authentic objects and digital tools. The plot pits participants both with and against each other. Who can you trust? What is true? What should we reveal? The present day is placed in a historical context, exploring themes such as propaganda, superpowers, pandemics, fake news, the space race, democratic values, the environmental crisis and the engagement of an entire generation of young people.