Knaben is an old mining village in the northern part of Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. Currently, the mine is no longer in use, but the area has become a popular ski resort. The village lies at an elevation of above sea level, about north of Liknes and about east of Tonstad in Sirdal municipality. The

molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...

mines were operated here from 1885 to 1973. Buildings and constructions are still partly intact. The workers' living houses are now used as tourist lodgings.

Nature

The Knaben uplands (''Knabeheiene'') are mainly located at an elevation of between above sea level. The area has a rich bird-life and animal life, with moose, reindeer, black grouse, lagopus, falcon, and

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Mining activity

Occurrence of molybdenite was the basis for the mining activities at Knaben. In 1897, it was determined that tempering of

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

with molybdenum resulted in an alloy with qualities favourable for weapon production. In 1902, the mining rights of the area were bought for , and subsequently sold to an English company in 1904 for . Due to low molybdenum prices the mining operations ceased in 1909. World War I led to an uprise at Knaben. At its height ten different mining companies had operations in the area, but all operations ceased when the war was over. The Swedish company Avesta Järnverks AB took over from A/S Knaben Molybdængruber, and the production increased through the 1930s, with about 400 mine workers and a total population at Knaben of about 700.

Second World War

At the time Norway was invaded in 1940, during World War II, the Knaben mines were one of the only molybdenum mines in Europe still in operation. The occupying German forces stationed about 1,000 men in the area, and established gun sites for anti-aircraft guns. The mine operations were the target for allied bombing twice in 1943. The first attack took place on 3 March, with 10 British

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

strike fighter In current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multirole combat aircraft designed to operate both as an attack aircraft and as an air superiority fighter. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers. It is closely related to the c ...

s of

No. 139 Squadron RAF No. 139 (Jamaica) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was fighter unit in World War I and a bomber unit from World War II until the 1960s. History Formation and World War I No. 139 Squadron Royal Air Force was formed on 3 July 191 ...

participating. The second attack was on 16 November, when 130 American B-17 bombers from the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

(in its mission number 131) attacked the Knaben molybdenum mines in a raid against Norway.

Post-war

The school at Knaben was built in 1954. In 1973, the mining company announced it would cease operations. The mines were finally closed on 30 April 1973, and the village was more or less abandoned. A museum, Knaben Gruvemuseum has been established in the old administration building, and is run by ''Knabens Venner'' and Kvinesdal municipality.

Norsk Bergverksmuseum The Norwegian Mining Museum ( no, Norsk Bergverksmuseum) is located at Kongsberg in Viken county, Norway. Norwegian Mining Museum documents the history of the former Kongsberg Silver Mines Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at ...

is running a pilot project at the Knaben mining community. A large sand deposit in the valley is a visible result from 88 years of mining activity. The percentage of

was low, on average below 0.2%. The sand deposits cause some leaching of metals (cadmium, copper and molybdenum), and flotation of chemicals into the river Kvina. Today, tourism is the main activity at Knaben. There is an alpine ski resort in operation, and several mountain

cabin Cabin may refer to: Buildings * Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach * Log cabin, a house built from logs * Cottage, a small house * Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof * Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as in ...

resorts. The ski resort operates three different pistes of around 1,000m (3,280 ft) each, with an elevation of 182 m (597 ft).

Media gallery

Molybdänit aus Knabengruver, Norwegen.jpg, Molybdenite from the mine Ned mot Knaben sentrum-skole.jpg, Sand deposits at Knaben 169703 Knaben gruver (9217140602).jpg, View of the mine buildings Utsikt fra Husmorløypa.jpeg, View of the village and sand deposits

References

{{use dmy dates, date=November 2020 Mining communities in Norway Mining in Norway Villages in Agder Kvinesdal