The Norwegian Mining Museum ( no, Norsk Bergverksmuseum) is located at Kongsberg in

Viken county Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

, Norway. Norwegian Mining Museum documents the history of the former

Kongsberg Silver Mines Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Viken county in Norway. The town of Kongsberg is the site of the Norwegian Mining Museum (). History Operating from over 80 different sites, Kongsberg silver mines constituted th ...

(''Kongsberg Sølvverk''). The museum was established in 1938, and opened to the public in 1945. The museum documents the development of mining throughout the period the silver mines in Kongsberg were in operation. As early as the 15th century, there was mining in the area. Copper ore was then taken out. Around 1540, silver-containing lead ore was also found. Silver deposits at Kongsberg were first discovered in 1629 with mines were in operation until 1958. The cultural heritage dates from the 18th century, but there are traces of mining through the entire period of operation. The mining captain's house, cottages, stables, foundation for a water wheel as well as the system of aqueducts and dams are preserved. Situated close to the entrance of the silver mines are shelters once used by the miners. These buildings were built between the period 1867 and 1874. A mine train pulled by diesel locomotives takes visitors 342 meters below the surface and 2.3 km into the mountain. Inside the former mine there is a guided tour. An interesting device is the mine elevator which was built in 1881. ''Norsk Bergverksmuseum Kongsberg''
(showcaves.com)

References

Other Sources

*Helleberg, Odd Arne (2000) ''Kongsberg sølvverk 1623–1958: kongenes øyensten – rikenes pryd'' (Kongsberg : Sølvverkets venner)

External links

Norsk Bergverksmuseum official website
Museums in Viken Norway 1938 establishments in Norway {{Norway-museum-stub