{"id":5682,"date":"2020-12-11T20:52:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T19:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.svetkamene.eu\/?p=5682"},"modified":"2021-10-06T17:46:04","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T15:46:04","slug":"mining-town-of-roros-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svetkamene.eu\/index.php\/en\/2020\/12\/11\/mining-town-of-roros-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Mining town of R\u00f8ros – part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The origin of the town and its mining past date back to the first half of the 17th century. The legend of finding copper says that farmer Hans Olsen Aasen stumbled over a piece of copper ore while hunting reindeer. Today, the city centre is said to be located on that memorial site.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

R\u00f8ros is the coldest place in Norway, and with a temperature record of -50.4 \u00b0 C it is one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. This is due to the altitude of about 600 metres and the continental climate. The area is separated from the coast by a mountain range, so there comes no air from mild latitudes. As one of the few mining towns in the world, the town and surroundings of R\u00f8ros have been included on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A brief history<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Copper ore was discovered there in 1644 and the following year the first smelting furnace began to be built. The Danish-Norwegian king granted mining companies privileges to mine, thus promoting the emergence and flourishing of copper mining in a remote area with harsh natural conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The settlement arose along the Hitterelva River which provided energy for ore processing. In 1678 and 1679 the town was burned down by Swedish troops. The inhabitants rebuilt the town and 80 wooden houses from the end of the 17th century have been preserved to this day. Their blackened wooden facades still give the town a medieval character. Before the canal between the towns of Fermunden and R\u00f8ros was built in 1764, the area was extensively deforested. Today’s stone church built in 1784 replaced the old wooden church from 1650.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the first half of the 19th century, the price of copper fell, and this resulted in two famines. In 1824, chromium began to be mined there. In 1877, R\u00f8ros was connected to the outside world by rail, and a little later the miners built the Kuraas hydroelectric power plant to supply electricity to the mines. In 1936, the Prince Olaf Mine was opened and it was exploited until 1972. That year, zinc mining began in Legruvbakken, however, after several lucrative years, prices fell so that in 1977 the company was forced to close down the mines. The mines in R\u00f8ros were of Norway’s most important mines for more than 250 years. In the years 1644-1977, more than 100,000 tons of copper were produced and 525,000 tons of pyrite were mined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The cultural heritage of the mining town of R\u00f8ros includes:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n