Sarpsfossen

Sarpsfossen carries the Glomma, Norway's largest river, over a drop of about twenty metres, and although that height is modest the volume is enormous, averaging around 577 cubic metres per second, which makes it the most powerful waterfall in Europe measured by water flow rather than height. That power is the reason Sarpsborg exists: mills, sawmills and then paper and chemical industries were built on it from the medieval period onward, and hydroelectric plants take much of the water today, so the visible fall varies with what the turbines are using. Viewing platforms stand on both banks, and the Borregaard industrial complex sits alongside. The site also holds Norway's oldest recorded rock carving field nearby.

What you actually see

• The volume - Europe's most powerful fall by average water flow.
• The viewing platforms - overlooks on both banks of the Glomma.
• The industry - hydroelectric plants and the Borregaard works alongside.
• The gorge below - the river channel cut through rock downstream.

When to go

April to June for the highest natural flow from snowmelt, when less water is diverted; the fall runs year-round but can look diminished when the power plants take most of it. Autumn rain also raises the level.

Honest expectations

The setting is heavily industrial and noisy, with factories and power infrastructure framing the view, which surprises visitors expecting a natural site. The visible flow depends on power generation and can be much reduced. The drop is short, so the impression is force rather than spectacle.

Nearby

Sarpsborg town centre is alongside; Fredrikstad's fortified old town lies southwest.