The people of Rjukan in Norway ...
... during the six months of winter the surrounding mountains cast a shadow over the town even at midday.
The idea of using mirrors in Rjukan was first proposed 100 years ago. "A hundred-year-old idea has become reality today," said Steinar Bergsland.
He said he hoped the mirrors would attract visitors to the region, which up till now has been associated more with the bravery of the men who sabotaged Hitler's attempt to develop the atomic bomb at a hydroelectric plant near Rjukan.
The problem of how to bring sunshine to Rjukan was first considered a century ago by a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, Sam Eyde
Despite some initial opposition to the use of public money ...
Controlled by computers, the tilted mirrors follow the course of the sun to bring sunshine to Rjukan's main square below.
The Italian village of Viganella installed a similar sun mirror in 2006.
A combination of private sponsorship and public investment eventually drew together the 5 million Norwegian krone (£528,000; $851,000) needed to complete the project.
Rjukan gets no sunlight for about seven months of the year. ... during the six months of winter the surrounding mountains cast a shadow over the town even at midday.