Sweden
Falun World Heritage Site: Copper Mining
Falun lies about 140 miles north of Stockholm. It was an important copper mine for over a thousand years until final closure in 1992, having been the world’s main producer during the 17th and 18th Centuries. The roofs of Versaille Palace were covered in Falu copper.
The mine, Falu Gruva, lies on the SW side of Falun. The mine is renowned for the Great Pit, formed in 1687 by a massive collapse after a period of frenzied mining activity. No lives were lost.
The works buildings are distinctively different from those in Cornwall and are well worth a visit which should also include a tour below ground.
Alongside Falu Gruva is the miners’ housing, largely built of red-stained timber and including some of the earliest 9sqm houses. In the surrounding countryside are the homes of the master-miners and master-smelters and the artist Carl Larsson and botanist, Carl Linnaeus.
