|
Side 1 av 5 This site is about the history of the mining town Røros.
Those of you who hoped to find a complete translation of all content into English will be disappointed, since I haven't gotten around to that yet. You can either read on here for proper English, or try out the Google Translate function at the top left of the site. Its results are sometimes a bit odd, but worth a try.
What I've otherwise managed to do is write a short history as well as collecting som relevant links in the web links area.
In the meantime, why not take a  language class in Norwegian?
If you'd like to get in touch with me, or if you have any questions that are Røros-related, please use this contact form (the fields denote "name", "e-mail address", "subject" and "message" and must all be filled in).
You can download descriptions of the Røros church in English, German, Spanish, French and Italian from this page. Additionally, you can download the Røros Guide in English and German here.
RØROS MINING TOWN
 In 1644 copper ore was found in the Røros mountains. In the following year the first furnace was built near a waterfall in the Hitterelva river. People came to Røros from all over Scandinavia to work for the newly established Røros Copper Company.
Due to generous returns, Røros was among Norway’s most important mining towns. Between 1644 and 1977 in excess of 110,000 metric tons of copper and 525,000 metric tons of sulphur pyrite were produced. As a direct result, the landscape in the area was completely changed from thickly forested areas to large open spaces where trees grow only sparingly.
Due to its authentic wooden buildings and unique character of an early mining town, Røros was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980.
|
|
 Old town map, ca. 1711.
|
Røros is located on a gently sloping plateau 628 metres above sea level, forested with mostly birch and pine trees. The largest lake within the municipality is the Aursund lake. Norway's longest river, the Glomma (598 km), has its origin here.
Røros has retained much of its original character, with houses and farms from the 18th and 19th centuries. The street pattern and farming properties in the center of town are the same as were originally constructed in the 1600’s.
In 1650, a few years after construction of the first furnace, a church was built to service the population. It was a small timber church which after only 130 years became too small for the congregation. The construction of a new stone church was begun in 1780 and finished four years later. It is a large church for this relatively small town and seats as many as 1600, making it one of the largest in Norway.
About the buildings
|
|
Picture of the foundry-bell (hyttklokka) and the church. Photo: Einar Aasen, 2006.
|
Behind the main buildings are the courtyards. These are often surrounded by stables, storage buildings and separate open-hearth houses. The buildings were not painted or paneled to begin with; normally they would be one- or two-storey houses with a single, double, or triple floor plan. From the middle of the 1700’s the buildings began to acquire the appearance associated with houses in Røros as we see them today: a separate kitchen building and a covered area over the entrance to the courtyard. Many courtyards also had stables for horses and other beasts of burden.
The mines
The first mine at Raudhammeren started production as early as 1645. Although Røros is known first and foremost for its mines producing copper ore, other minerals were also mined for their value. Among these were sulphur pyrite, chromite, iron ore, lead, cobolt, serpentine (magnesium silicate) and zinc.
The mines are located outside the town center. Both at Nyberget (started in 1650, as the second oldest mine in Røros) and Crown Prince Olavs mine (1936 - the second youngest) it is possible to attend guided tours.
The furnace building
|
|
The main street (kirkgata) in Røros. Photo: Einar Aasen, 2005.
|
Since the last mine was closed in 1977 and the copper company declared bankruptcy, the Røros museum has been founded to manage the properties previously owned by ”Røros Kobberverk”. The furnace building which serves as the museum's main building is a reconstruction of the company production facilities as they appeared in the year of 1888.
Some facts and figures about Røros municipality
- Røros mining town was founded in 1644.
- Total area: 1.956,3 square kilometres.
- Population (april 2009): 5.560.
- Height above sea level: 628 metres.
- Was burned to the ground by Swedish troops in 1678 and 1679.
- Predominant types of tree are birch and pine.
- Is home to one of Norway's largest inland deserts; Kvitsanden.
- The copper company produced approx. 110.000 tons of pure copper between 1646-1977.
- Lakes: Aursunden, Femunden, Bolagen, Håsjøen, Djupsjøen and Gjettjønna.
- Coldest temperature measured (1914): -50.4 °Celsius (-58.7 °Fahrenheit).
- Coordinates: 62°34'N 11°22'E
NOTE: The grid-area around the church making up the center of Røros is classed as "Town" or "Village", even though sometimes people will describe it as "city" (the Norwegian equivalent being "by"). This is incorrect, as Røros officially is classed as "Bergstad", or "Mining Town".
|
