Zinkgruvan is a
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
situated in
Askersund Municipality
Askersund Municipality (''Askersunds kommun'') is a municipality in Ă–rebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Askersund.
The present municipality was created in 1971, when the former ''City of Askersund'' was merged wit ...
,
Ă–rebro County
Örebro County ( sv, Örebro län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly n ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. It had 391 inhabitants in 2010.
It is situated close to Sweden's second largest lake,
Vättern
Vättern ( , ) is the second largest lake by surface area in Sweden, after Vänern, and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden, to the southeast of Vänern, pointing at the tip of ...
. The village is famous for its mining industry started by the Belgian company
Vieille Montagne
Vieille Montagne was a zinc mine in Kelmis (La Calamine), a town in Belgium between Liège and Aachen. The mine's name is French for "old mountain", and this is also reflected in its German name, (earlier, ). The mine was once a bone of contenti ...
in 1857, hence the name Zinkgruvan (literally "the
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
mine" in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
). Zinkgruvan was founded around the mine in the 1860s, and the history of the village is closely tied to the history of the mine. The people living in Zinkgruvan are mostly mine workers.
Zinkgruvan also contains several ski facilities, including an illuminated cross country ski track. The ski association in Zinkgruvan uses
snow cannons
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...
to ensure that the ski-track is provided with snow during the entire winter. An old ice hockey rink in the village is filled with ice in the winter for public entertainment. Zinkgruvan is home to a museum that documents the history of the mining industry in the town.
Riksdag
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
elections
Zinkgruvan is forming an electoral ward with nearby
Ă…mmeberg
Åmmeberg is a locality situated in Askersund Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 590 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated at an estuary by a fjord of lake Vättern. It existed as early as the 12th century and had a mill owned by the convent i ...
. While historically the area has been heavily left-wing due to the mining works, this has gradually been eroded in the 21st century, with the electoral ward going to the right-leaning parties for the first time in 2018.
Geography
In addition to Vättern, the area around Zinkgruvan contains several minor lakes. Zinkgruvan, as many small villages in Sweden, is popular with
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
tourists during the summer. Tourist attractions include the natural surroundings of the town and the
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
that live nearby. Selling accessories and souvenirs to tourists is a major source of income for residents of Zinkgruvan. The
headframe
A headframe (also known as a gallows frame, winding tower, hoist frame,Ernst, Dr.-Ing. Richard (1989). ''Wörterbuch der Industriellen Technik'' (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Oscar Brandstetter, 1989. pit frame, shafthead frame, headgear, headstock o ...
of the mine, containing the elevators that move miners and ore in the mine shaft, is a major landmark in the village and is well over 70m high. While some residents regard it as a unique feature of the town, it has been criticized for its
Soviet-style architecture.
References
See also
*
Broken Hill ore deposit (
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
)
Populated places in Ă–rebro County
Populated places in Askersund Municipality
Zinc mines
Underground mines in Sweden
{{Ă–rebro-geo-stub