Lake Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, extends for 100km/60mi through a fertile region from Eidsvoll in the south to Lillehammer in the north. With a width of up to 15km/9mi, it has an area of 362sq.km/140sq.mi - slightly less than Lake Garda in northern Italy - and is up to 443m/1,450ft deep. The lake is well stocked with trout.
Beyond Brumunddal, E 6 comes to the north end of the Furnesfjord and turns west. The highway passes Moelv, crosses to the west side of Lake Mjøsa on a bridge and continues towards Lillehammer.
Lake Mjøsa is reached from Oslo on E 6. From the little town of Eidsvoll, on the right bank of the wide, clear river Vorma, there is a boat service up the lake to Lillehammer from mid-June to mid-August.
The current constitution of Norway was originally adopted in 1814 in the town of Eidsvoll.
Elverum (alt. 188m/615ft, pop. 17,000), once a fortified town, lies 28km/17mi east of Hamar, on the Glåma. Features of interest are the Glomsdal Museum, an open-air museum (80 old peasants' houses from the prosperous Østerdal, with period furnishings), and the Norwegian Forest Museum (forestry, shooting, fishing).
From the farm of Bjørnstad a road leads north to the Feiring ironworks (Feiring Jernverk), established in 1797, with 24 buildings (stamping mill, blast furnace, etc.) which illustrate the technology of this early stage of the industry.
There is an annual performance of "Men of iron ore, Girls of iron" at the Ironworks Theater.
On the west side of Lake Mjøsa (reached by a ferry from Mengstol) is Gjøvik (pop. 28,000), chief place in the Toten district, known as "the white town on Lake Mjøsa". From here Road 4 goes north to Lillehammer.
The ice hockey games for the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994 were held in the Gjøvik Olympic Hall. Gjøvik is also noted for its glassworks, which began in 1807, and still carries on the traditions today.
From Gjøvik, Road 33 runs south along the west side of Lake Mjøsa. To the west of Kapp (pop. 1,100) is the Toten Museum, an open-air museum established in the 1930s round a farmhouse of 1790 (period furnishings).
Beyond Minnesund, E 6 crosses the river Vorma at its outflow from the lake and continues along the east side of Lake Mjøsa through attractive scenery, climbing slightly.
A trip up Lake Mjøsa, in the oldest paddle-steamer in the world still in service (1856), takes about six hours, with calls at the main places on the lake.
Address: Skibladner, AS Oplandske Dampskibsselskap, N-2802 Gjøvik, Norway
On a peninsula to the north of Skreia, a small village (pop. 1285), is Balke church (ca. 1200; restored 1967). The road now keeps close to the shore of the lake, with the Skreia ridge of hills to the west (Skreikamp, 708m/2,323ft).
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The village of Eidsvoll.
