Kongsberg () is a historical
mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry.
Historical mining communities Australia
* Ballarat, Victoria
* Bendig ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in
Buskerud
Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The city is located on the river
Numedalslågen
Numedalslågen is a river in Norway. It is considered to be the second longest river in Southern Norway. It is located in the Numedal valley which runs through the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud and Vestland. At long, it is of the longest rivers ...
at the entrance to the valley of
Numedal
Numedal () is a valley and a traditional district in Eastern Norway located within the county of Buskerud. It traditionally includes the municipalities Flesberg, Nore og Uvdal and Rollag. Administratively, it now also includes Kongsberg.
...
. Kongsberg has been a centre of
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
mining,
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
production and forestry for centuries, and is the site of high technology industry including the headquarters of Norway's largest defence contractor
Kongsberg Gruppen
Kongsberg Gruppen is a Norway, Norwegian multinational company, that supplies High tech, high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, Defense industry, defence, aerospace, Offshore drilling, offshore oil and gas industries, and Re ...
.
Kongsberg, formerly spelled Konningsberg ( "King's Mountain"), was developed as a mining city on the basis of the
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
, founded by and named after King
Christian IV of Denmark and Norway
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.
A member of the H ...
in 1624. The king invited German engineers and other specialists from
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
and the
Harz
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...
region to help build the mining company. As a mining city, Kongsberg had a distinct urban culture that contrasted with its surroundings, strongly influenced by the traditions of mining communities in Germany and where the German language was extensively used in mining business and for religious services. In the first years nearly half of the city's population were German immigrants, and the majority of the engineers and executives were German immigrants and their descendants well into the 19th century, becoming a distinct social class called mining families that formed the educated social elite of Kongsberg in contrast to the Norwegian farming population; the first Nobel laureate in economics
Ragnar Frisch
Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch (3 March 1895 – 31 January 1973) was an influential Norwegian economist and econometrician known for being one of the major contributors to establishing economics as a quantitative and statistically informed science ...
belonged to such a Kongsberg mining family. By the 18th century Kongsberg was Norway's second largest city, second only to
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
. Kongsberg was one of Norway's two privileged mining cities and thus formed a special mining jurisdiction (''
Bergstad
Bergstad or Bergstaden is an old classification for a mining town in Norway. In the past, a ''bergstad'' had its own laws, so-called mountain laws. Today, the town of Røros is the only remaining ''bergstad'' in Norway.
Before 1683, the mountai ...
''), and only became part of
Buskerud
Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...
county in 1760. On 1 January 1838, the
new national law, creating local governments, made Kongsberg a municipality. The rural municipalities of
Ytre Sandsvær Ytre is the Norwegian word for "outer". It may refer to:
People:
*Knut Ytre-Arne (1896–1968), Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party
Places:
*Ytre Østfold, the outer coastal area of Østfold county, Norway
*Ytre Øydnavatnet, lake in Lyngda ...
and
Øvre Sandsvær
Øvre Sandsvær is a former municipality in Buskerud, Buskerud county, Norway. Its name translates to Upper Sandsvær.
History
From 1837, Øvre Sandsvær was a part of the Sandsvær, Sandsvær presidency. The Communes of Norway, kommune was creat ...
were merged into the municipality of Kongsberg in 1964. Kongsberg gradually lost importance to other cities in the 19th century, particularly to the rapidly growing capital of
Christiania (Oslo).
The Kongsberg Silver Mines closed in 1958 after operating for 334 years and is today a museum and the city's main tourist attraction. Kongsberg remains the site of the
Royal Norwegian Mint
The Royal Norwegian Mint () is a mint in Norway responsible for producing coins of the Norwegian krone
The krone (, currency sign, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); ISO 4217, code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is the currency of the King ...
(), which mints
Norwegian coins and also produces circulating and collectors' coins for other countries. Kongsberg is also the home of Norway's major
defence contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military or intelligence department of a government. Products typically include military or civilian aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and ...
,
Kongsberg Gruppen
Kongsberg Gruppen is a Norway, Norwegian multinational company, that supplies High tech, high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, Defense industry, defence, aerospace, Offshore drilling, offshore oil and gas industries, and Re ...
, founded in 1814. Two of its best-known products were the
Kongsberg Colt
The Kongsberg Colt is a nickname used for Colt's Manufacturing Company, Colt M1911 pistol, M1911 pistols produced under license by the Norwegian factory Kongsberg Gruppen, Kongsberg VÃ¥penfabrikk.
History
Norway adopted the 7.5 mm Nagant ...
and the
Krag–Jørgensen
The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 we ...
rifle.
Both the
University of South-Eastern Norway
The University of South-Eastern Norway (), commonly known as USN, is a Norwegian state university. It has campuses in Bø, Telemark, Bø in Telemark, Porsgrunn, Notodden, Rauland, Drammen, Hønefoss, Kongsberg and Horten. USN is a continuation ...
Kongsberg campus, and
Tinius Olsen's school, a combined technical vocational college and secondary school, are located in Kongsberg.
Minorities
History

Kongsberg was founded by
Danish-Norwegian King
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.
A member of the H ...
as a
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
community in 1624 after the discovery of silver. In its second year, the town of Kongsberg and the
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
began. According to official records,
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
was first discovered by the shepherds children Helga Verp and Jacob Grosvold in the summer of 1623. However, the existence of deposits of precious metals was known previously, as evidenced by indications of earlier silver mining. With the rise of silver mining, Kongsberg became the largest industrial center in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
before the industrial revolution. At the peak of silver mining in the early eighteenth century, Kongsberg's silver mines and related industries contributed 10% of the
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ) is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (includ ...
gross national product
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total amount of factor incomes earned by the residents of a country. It is equal to gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes received from n ...
.
To develop the
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
,
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.
A member of the H ...
hired Germans from the silver mines of
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
and
Harz
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...
and brought in Germans from other mines in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The Germans brought their knowledge of mining technology, especially important during the start-up phase. Before 1623, the city was located in the royal territory of
Sandsvær
Sandsvær is a area in Kongsberg, Buskerud county, Norway. The area is identical to the former municipality named Sandsvær. Sandsvær is situated in the valley of Lågendalen on the Numedalslågen river, and is bordered by Kongsberg town in the ...
.
Four years after the establishment of the
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
, most of the 1,500 workers and officials were still German. Gradually, Norwegians entered the workforce and were hired as supervisors. In 1636, 1,370 Germans and 1,600 Norwegians were employed there. In 1648, there were 1,500 Germans and 2,400 Norwegians working in Kongsberg.
Gunpowder was officially introduced in mining in 1681. Mining in the particularly hard rock of Kongsberg Mountain was energy intensive, so the silver mine continued to develop new technology to reduce production costs. A large artificial dam powered the mine's hoists before electricity was introduced. In 1624, a road from
Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the counties of Norway, county of Buskerud in Eastern Norway. It is the largest population center and administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Øvre Eiker.
The town is located upstream of the ...
to Kongsberg was built to serve the
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
, the most important road built in Norway in the 17th century. In 1665, the road was extended to
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...
and
Larvik
Larvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Larvik (town) ...
.
By 1683, the mining industry was an important industry of the state. The rapid development of Kongsberg meant that the number of workers in the city had increased significantly by the end of the 17th century. The proportion of Norwegians in the workforce increased, but for a long time, the main staff was dominated by Germans. Kongsberg was almost an outpost of Germany in Norway: the mine had a German name, and the official language was German, only later becoming bilingual (German and
Danish). In Kongsberg, the German mountain justice system was also used. Legally, this means that the city was bound by independent regulations, partially separating the mining community from the country's legal system. The Germans brought with them the Knappschaft, a guild-like association of miners that provided including free medical assistance, a pension plan, worker sick leave and a Saturday break. The ring agriculture characteristic of Kongsberg may also have been inspired by the German pattern.
The proceeds from silver mining provided a valuable assistance to the tight finances of Denmark.
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ) is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (includ ...
relied heavily on the silver of Kongsberg to support an ongoing war against Sweden. Precious metals also became more and more important in the currency, and to get closer to its source of raw materials, the Royal Mint moved in 1686 from
Akershus
Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...
to Kongsberg. During the
Great Northern War
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...
in 1716, the city became the main target of
Karl XII
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach. Charles was the ...
's foray into Norderhof.
Kongsberg was particularly known for its
Kongsberg Silver Mines
Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Buskerud 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 constitute ...
and their high purity. Kongsberg's ore also contained a certain amount of gold and large amounts of
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
,
cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. ...
,
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
-
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It 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 periodic tabl ...
and
fluorite
Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon.
The Mohs scal ...
. Roughly of silver was extracted between the discovery of the silver
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...
seams in 1623 and the last year of
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
in 1957. The workforce at the Kongsberg silver mine began to increase substantially at the end of the 17th century. In the 1769
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, the mines employed about 4,000 workers. With 8,000 inhabitants in all, the town was the second largest in Norway, after
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
(and thus larger than today's capital,
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
).
In Norway's 1749
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, Kongsberg was the most populous town in
Eastern Norway
Eastern Norway (, ) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Oslo, Akershus, Vestfold, Østfold, Buskerud, Telemark, and Innlandet.
Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region of Norw ...
. It was granted its
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
of trade—amounting to official
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
—in 1802. Following several hard years with reduced silver output from the mines, the war of 1807–1814, and a severe town fire in 1810 where 56 houses on the west side were destroyed, mining was complemented by the government establishing a
defense industry in 1814. By 1835, the population had declined to 3,540.
Kongsberg is home to the
Royal Norwegian Mint
The Royal Norwegian Mint () is a mint in Norway responsible for producing coins of the Norwegian krone
The krone (, currency sign, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); ISO 4217, code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is the currency of the King ...
(), which mints
Norwegian coins and also produces circulating and collectors' coins for other countries such as Israel. It was established in 1686, and was renamed from the ''Royal Norwegian Mint'' () in 2004 after having been sold to private investors (the
Mint of Finland
The Mint of Finland (, ), legally registered as Suomen Rahapaja Oy (Myntverket i Finland Ab in Swedish), is the national mint of Finland. It was established by Alexander II of Russia in 1860 as the mark became the official currency of the Grand D ...
and Norwegian company
Samlerhuset Samlerhuset Norge (Collector's House) is a Norwegian distributor of collectibles, mainly coins and medals, but also stamps, banknotes and philatelic numismatic covers (PNC). Samlerhuset is located in Oppegård, Norway. The company, with the full n ...
) in 2003. Kongsberg is also the site of the
Kongsberg School of Mines (''Kongsberg Bergseminar''), an academic institution for mining technology which operated from 1757 to 1814.
During peaceful times, the defence industry gradually evolved into many other kinds of
high tech
High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the state of the art, cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the ...
activities as well, now dominating the town's employment. In 1987, however, the state-owned Kongsberg Weapons Factory (''Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk'') suffered a major financial crisis as well as accusations of breaching the
CoCom
The Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom) was established in 1949 at the beginning of the Cold War to coordinate controls on exports from Western Bloc countries to the Soviet Union and its allies. Operating through inform ...
rules by selling sensitive technology to the
Soviet bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
. As a result, the company was split into several smaller units and partly sold to private investors. Today, the separate firms thrive as one of Norway's main high-tech industrial clusters, centering on the defence and maritime company
Kongsberg Gruppen
Kongsberg Gruppen is a Norway, Norwegian multinational company, that supplies High tech, high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, Defense industry, defence, aerospace, Offshore drilling, offshore oil and gas industries, and Re ...
which is listed on the
Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange () (OSE: OSLO) is a stock exchange within the Nordic countries and offers Norway's only regulated markets for securities trading today. The stock exchange offers a full product range including equities, derivatives and fixed ...
.
On 13 October 2021,
a man stabbed multiple people with a bladed weapon, killing five and injuring three. Police subsequently apprehended a suspect whom the Kongsberg police chief later told reporters was a
Muslim convert.
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...
is from modern times and was designed by
Hallvard Trætteberg
Hallvard Trætteberg (21 April 1898 in Løten Municipality – 21 November 1987 in Oslo) was the leading Norwegian heraldic artist and the expert adviser on heraldry to the Government of Norway and the Norwegian royal family for much of the 2 ...
. They were granted on 25 August 1972. They are based upon the old seal for the city from 1689 which shows the
Roman god
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the Latin literature, literature and Roman art, visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these ...
Janus
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...
dressed as an
emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
(to represent the king); the
sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
and the pair of scales represents
justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
. The colour green represents the forests, silver represents the mountains, and gold represents wealth.
Geography
Kongsberg is located at the mouth of the valley
Numedal
Numedal () is a valley and a traditional district in Eastern Norway located within the county of Buskerud. It traditionally includes the municipalities Flesberg, Nore og Uvdal and Rollag. Administratively, it now also includes Kongsberg.
...
; farther to the South the valley is called
LÃ¥gendalen
LÃ¥gendalen () is a valley located in eastern Norway.
Lågendalen forms the lower part of the valley through which the river Numedalslågen flows. The valley lies between the Kongsberg (town), town of Kongsberg in Kongsberg Municipality in Buske ...
.
The neighbouring municipalities of Kongsberg are
Flesberg
Flesberg is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland. ...
to the north;
Øvre Eiker
Øvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into ''Øvre Eiker'' ...
and
Hof to the east;
Lardal
Lardal () is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2018. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Svarstad. The village ...
,
Siljan, and
Skien
Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...
to the south; and
Sauherad
Sauherad is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It was part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. ...
and
Notodden
is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Aust-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden. Other population centres include the villages of Bolkesjø, G ...
to the west. Of these, the two first lie in Buskerud county like Kongsberg, while Hof and Lardal lie in
Vestfold
Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...
, and the others lie in
Telemark
Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...
. The town is divided by the river
Numedalslågen
Numedalslågen is a river in Norway. It is considered to be the second longest river in Southern Norway. It is located in the Numedal valley which runs through the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud and Vestland. At long, it is of the longest rivers ...
, which has three
waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
s in the town itself.
Climate
Kongsberg has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(Dfb), with late summer and autumn as the wettest season and February – April as the driest season. Kongsberg has warm summers by Norwegian standards; average daily highs in summer are comparable to Oslo. In winter Kongsberg is colder than Oslo, and snow cover on the ground is common. The largest snow depth recorded is 123 cm on 3 March 2006.The all-time high temperature was recorded 19 June 1970, while 10 August 1975 recorded . The all-time low was recorded 3 January 1941. As pr January 2022, all monthly record lows are old, 11 from before 1950. All record highs are from after 1950, 5 of 12 from after 2000 (pr January 2022). Kongsberg has recorded as early as 14 May (in 2000). The weather station Kongsberg brannstasjon has recorded since 2003, extremes includes data from Kongsberg II, III and IV.
Transportation
The main highways are the
E134, crossing Kongsberg east to west (and connected to the
E18 to
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
), and
Norwegian national road 40 ''(Riksvei 40)'', going north to south. The
Sørland Line
Sørland is a seaside resort, fishing village, and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the isla ...
stops at Kongsberg Rail Station, with connection to local and regional bus lines.
Culture
With the population increase during the town's silver mining heyday of the mid-eighteenth century came the need for a new church, which was built over a 21-year period and inaugurated in 1761. It has an austere red
brick
A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
exterior, but a richly decorated
baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
interior including unique
chandelier
A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...
s made at ''Nøstetangen'' Glass Works in neighbouring
Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the counties of Norway, county of Buskerud in Eastern Norway. It is the largest population center and administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Øvre Eiker.
The town is located upstream of the ...
. Kongsberg Church remains one of the largest in Norway with a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 2,400.
The church's original baroque-era
pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
, made by renowned German
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
builder
Gottfried Heinrich Gloger in 1760–65, was fully restored by
Jürgen Ahrend
Jürgen Ahrend (; 28 April 1930 – 1 August 2024) was a German organ builder famous for restoring instruments such as the Gothic Rysum organ and the Arp Schnitger organs of the Organ in the Martinikerk at Groningen, Martinikerk in Groningen, Net ...
in 1999–2000 and reopened to great fanfare in January 2001. With its 42 voices, it is the largest baroque organ in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
. At the end of January each year, the Gloger Music Festival now draws a select crowd of artists and music lovers from all over the world.
Since 1964, Kongsberg has hosted
Kongsberg Jazzfestival
Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964.
Artists
Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...
, an annual international
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
festival. Heavily sponsored by the local industry, prominent world acts such as
B. B. King,
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...
,
Ornette Coleman
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Ja ...
,
Joshua Redman
Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006).
Life and career
Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...
and
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) is an American guitarist and composer. His music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention as part of the band of Miles Davis; he ...
have played at the festival in recent years.
Sport
The town is known for many great
ski jumper
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...
s.
Birger Ruud
Birger Johannes Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier.
Career
Born in Kongsberg, Birger Ruud, with his brothers Sigmund and Asbjørn, dominated international jumping in the 1930s, winning three w ...
and his two brothers, as well as many other townsmen, such as
Petter Hugsted, won numerous medals in Winter Olympics and other international championships in the 1930s and 1940s. The first ski jumping technique, the
Konsberger was developed by
Jacob Tullin Thams
Jacob Tullin "Tulla" Thams (7 April 1898 – 27 July 1954) was a Norwegian Olympian, who competed in ski jumping and sailing.
Career
He won the first Olympic ski jumping gold medal in 1924, and became the third person (after Gillis Grafström wh ...
and
Sigmund Ruud
Sigmund Ruud (30 December 1907 – 7 April 1994) was a Norwegian ski jumper. Together with his brothers Birger and Asbjørn, he dominated ski jumping in the 1920s and 1930s.
Career
At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Sigmund earned a sil ...
in Kongsberg, and was the most popular ski jumping technique from the late 1920s to the late 1950s. Their medals and equipment can be seen at the
Kongsberg Skiing Museum (''Kongsberg Skimuseum'') which is co-located with the
Norwegian Mining Museum (''Norsk Bergverksmuseum'') in central Kongsberg. Inventor of the modern
ski binding
A ski binding is a device that connects a ski boot to the ski. Before the 1933 invention of Ski lift, ski lifts, skiers went uphill and down and cross-country on the same gear. As ski lifts became more prevalent, skis—and their bindings—became ...
,
Norwegian-American
Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...
skier and Olympic skiing coach
Hjalmar Hvam Hjalmar Petterson Hvam (16 November 1902 – March 30, 1996) was a competitive Norwegian- American Nordic skier and inventor of the first safety ski binding.
Early life
Hvam was born in Kongsberg, Norway where he excelled at skiing as a yout ...
, was born in Kongsberg in 1902.
Recent winter sports athletes of the Kongsberg region include Olympic snowboarders
Stine Brun Kjeldaas
Stine Brun Kjeldaas (born 23 April 1975) is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. She is from Kongsberg, Norway.
Snowboarding career
She won a silver medal in the half-pipe at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and also participated in ...
,
Silje Norendal
Silje Norendal (born 1 September 1993) is a Norwegian former snowboarder. She competes in the slopestyle and big air events. Her local club is Kongsberg IF.
She won gold in women's slopestyle in Winter X Games Europe in Tignes in 2013.
In Janua ...
and
Halvor Lunn;
cross-country ski
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
sprinter
Børre Næss
Børre Næss (born 23 January 1982 in Kongsberg) is a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed between 2002 and 2014. He has three World Cup victories, all in individual sprint events (2005: Finland, 2007: Norway, 2008: Canada
Canad ...
of the village ''Efteløt''; and ski jumper
Sigurd Pettersen
Sigurd Pettersen (born 28 February 1980) is a Norwegian former ski jumper. His greatest achievement is winning the 2003–04 Four Hills Tournament, with wins in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Bischofshofen.
Pettersen also won two bronze ...
of nearby municipality
Rollag
Rollag is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, al ...
(60 km/37 mi north of Kongsberg). A large ski centre for
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...
and
snowboard
Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...
ing, with several
lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...
s and ca 320 m of height difference has been in operation and gradually expanding since 1965. Kongsberg hosted the cross-country skiing parts of the 2006
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Re ...
National Championships. The arranging sports club was IL Skrim, the ski tracks being located at
Heistadmoen, a former military camp.
The local basketball team
Kongsberg Miners
Kongsberg Miners, also known as Bergkameratene Basketball, is a professional basketball team based in Kongsberg, Norway, playing in the Norwegian premier professional men's basketball league BLNO. Kongsberg Miners is currently the most successful b ...
is regarded one of the best teams in the country.
The
1978 World Orienteering Championships
The 1978 World Orienteering Championships, the 7th World Orienteering Championships, were held in Kongsberg, Norway, 15–17 September 1978.
The championships had four events; individual contests for men and women, and relays for men and wome ...
were held in Kongsberg.
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
has been prominent in Kongsberg. The first track existed at the Kongsberg Idrettsparken and it held the final of the
Norwegian Individual Speedway Championship
The Individual Speedway Norwegian Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organised by the Norges Motorsportforbund (NMF). The first championship was held in 1938 in Trondheim and saw Ragnar C. Erichsen as winner.
History
...
in 1969. More recently speedway practices have sporadically been run on an oval track (known as Basserudåsen Speedway) constructed by the NMK Kongsberg, adjacent to the Kongsberg Motorsenter Gokart. This site also held the final of the Norwegian Championships in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
The crowns in HÃ¥vet
This attraction (''Kronene i HÃ¥vet'') is a site where Norwegian royal monograms have been carved into the mountainside overlooking Kongsberg to mark royal visits to the city. In June 1704 King
Frederik IV
Frederick IV ( Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel.
Early life ...
visited Kongsberg and started a tradition that is still celebrated. King Frederik also arranged for the monograms of visits from earlier monarchs to be recorded as well.
The first monogram on the hillside property belonged to
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.
A member of the H ...
who in 1624 founded Kongsberg at the site of the newly discovered silver deposits. His visit was followed by that of
Frederik III
Frederick III (; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bishop) of the ...
(1648) and
Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...
(1685).
Christian VI
Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...
and his Queen Sofie Magdalene (1733),
Frederik V (1749),
Oscar I (1845),
Oscar II
Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905.
Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...
(1890),
Haakon VII
Haakon VII (; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957.
The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark. He was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess ...
(1908),
Olav V
Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991.
Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud o ...
(1962) and most recently
Harald V
Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991.
A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succ ...
(1995).
Kongsberg Technology Park
Kongsberg Technology Park is a part of Kongsberg that is located in Kirkegårdsveien 45 and the Arsenal on Kongsgårdsmoen. It has over 5.200 employees, spread across 60 nationalities and 48 countries and can trace its roots back to 1814. Among the tenants in Kongsberg Technology Park are Kongsberg Gruppen,
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and we ...
,
GKN Aerospace
GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It was a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 ...
,
Siemens Energy
Siemens Energy AG is a German publicly-traded energy corporation formed through the spin-off of the former Gas and Power division of Siemens, and it includes full ownership of Siemens Gamesa.
Christian Bruch is the CEO, and the former CEO of S ...
, Kongsberg Terotech,
TechnipFMC
TechnipFMC plc is a French-American, UK-domiciled global oil and gas company that provides services for the energy industry. The company was formed by the merger of FMC Technologies of the United States and Technip of France that was announced in ...
,
Data Respons
Data Respons ASA is a company that develops embedded systems within the areas of Transport & Automotive, Telecom & Media, Industry Automation, Energy & Maritime, Medtech, Space, Defense & Security, and Finance & Public. The company was acquired by ...
, and
Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems.
The park also manages properties in
Stjørdal,
Horten
Horten () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Horten (town) ...
,
Sandefjord
Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...
,
Skedsmo
Skedsmo was a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality was the List of cities in No ...
,
Asker
Asker (), also called Asker proper (''Askerbygda'' or ''gamle Asker'' in Norwegian), is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway, located approximately 20km southwest of Oslo. From 2020 it is part of the ...
,
Bærum
Bærum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...
,
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
,
Rygge
Rygge was a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. It was merged into Moss municipality on 1 January 2020. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rygge. Rygge was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see fo ...
,
Kristiansand
Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...
,
Stavanger
Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
,
Ulsteinvik
is a town in Ulstein Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the commercial and administrative centre of the municipality and as such, Ulsteinvik contains 74% of the municipal population. The town has a population (2024) ...
and
Brattvåg
Brattvåg is the administrative centre of Haram Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located on the Norwegian mainland, along the west side of the Samfjorden. It is located about northwest of the villages of Vatne/ E ...
.
Notable residents
Public service & public thinking
*
Johan Gerhard de Besche (1821–1875) – a physician, owned the
Morgenbladet
is Norway's oldest daily newspaper, covering politics, culture and science, now a weekly news magazine primarily directed at well-educated readers. The magazine is notable for its opinion section featuring contributions exclusively from Norweg ...
newspaper
*
Christian Peder Bianco Boeck
Christian Peder Bianco Boeck (September 5, 1798 – July 11, 1877) was a Norwegian medical doctor, zoologist, botanist and mountaineer. He is most associated with his catalog of approved drugs, ''Pharmacopoea Norvegica'' (1854) and with his stu ...
(1798–1877) – a doctor, zoologist, botanist and mountaineer
*
Carl Wilhelm Boeck
Carl Wilhelm Boeck (December 15, 1808 – December 10, 1875) was a Norwegian dermatologist.
He was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway. In 1831 he earned his medical degree from the University of Christiania (now University of Oslo). From 183 ...
(1808–1875) – a Norwegian dermatologist
*
Erik Brofoss
Erik Brofoss (21 June 1908 – 7 May 1979) was a Norwegian economist and politician for the Labour Party.
Brofoss was born in Kongsberg. In his younger days he was an athlete who competed national level in the 100 metres. He represented Kongsbe ...
(1908–1979) – Economist and jurist, politician for the
Labour Party and central bank governor
*
Thomas Bryn (1782–1827) – a jurist, magistrate and rep. at the
Constitutional Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
*
Anders Bugge (1889–1955) – Norwegian theologist and art historian
*
Morten Thrane Esmark
Hans Morten Thrane Esmark (21 August 1801 – 24 April 1882) was a Norwegian priest and mineralogist. He is most noted for first locating the mineral thorite.
Biography
Morten Thrane Esmark was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway as a son of P ...
(1801–1882) – a Norwegian priest and mineralogist, Discoverer of
Thorium
Thorium is a chemical element; it has symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is a weakly radioactive light silver metal which tarnishes olive grey when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately soft, malleable, and ha ...
*
Sverre Fehn
Sverre Fehn (14 August 1924 – 23 February 2009) was a Norwegian architect.
Life
Fehn was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of John Tryggve Fehn (1894–1981) and Sigrid Johnsen (1895–1985).
He received his architect ...
(1924–2009) – Architect and professor at
Oslo's School of Architecture from 1971 to 1995
*
Roar Flåthen (born 1950) – Union leader and
LO leader from 2007 to 2013.
*
Bernt Hagtvet
Bernt Hagtvet (born 5 March 1946) is a Norwegian political scientist. He is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Oslo. Among his areas of interest are European politics, extremist movements and human rights. He was born ...
(born 1946) – Professor of political science at the University of Oslo

*
Paul Ernst Wilhelm Hartmann (1878–1974) – Finance minister who served in the
exile government
A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...
of
Johan Nygaardsvold
Johan Nygaardsvold (; 6 September 1879 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party who served as the prime minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945. From June 1940 until May 1945, he oversaw the Norwegian Government-in-exile f ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*
Iver Heltzen
Iver Ancher Heltzen (4 March 1785 – 30 June 1842) was a Norwegian priest, naturalist, and an author on topographical-economical topics.
Biography
Iver Ancher Heltzen was born in Kongsberg in Buskerud county. He was the son of Christian Ernst He ...
(1785–1842) – Norwegian priest, naturalist, and author
*
Gustava Kielland
Susanne Sophie Catharina Gustava Kielland (née Blom, 6 March 1800 – 28 February 1889) was a Norwegian author and missionary pioneer.
Biography
She was born in Kongsberg as a daughter of customs officer Gustavus Blom and his wife Karen Pet ...
(1800–1889) – Writer and missionary
*
Jens Landmark (1811–1880) – a Norwegian military officer and Mayor of Kongsberg
*
Tinius Olsen
Tinius Olsen (December 7, 1845 – October 20, 1932) was a Norwegian-born American engineer and inventor. He was the founder of thTinius Olsen Material Testing Machine Company a maker of material testing machines. He was awarded the Elliott C ...
(1845–1932) –
Norwegian-American
Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
and
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
*
Ole Petter Ottersen
Ole Petter Ottersen (born 17 March 1955) is a Norwegian physician and neuroscientist. He took office as the rector of Karolinska Institute in Sweden in August 2017. Ottersen has been professor of medicine at the University of Oslo since 1992 a ...
(born 1955) – Professor of medicine and rector at the University of Oslo from 2009 to 2017
*
Thoralf Skolem
Thoralf Albert Skolem (; 23 May 1887 – 23 March 1963) was a Norwegian mathematician who worked in mathematical logic and set theory.
Life
Although Skolem's father was a primary school teacher, most of his extended family were farmers. Skole ...
(1887–1963) – Professor of mathematics at the
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
*
Poul Steenstrup
Poul Steenstrup (10 December 1772 – 9 October 1864) was a Norwegian industrialist and politician. He was the founder of the Kongsberg Arms Factory (''Kongsberg VÃ¥penfabrikk'') and served as a representative at the Norwegian Constituent Ass ...
(1772–1864) – industrial entrepreneur and rep. the
Constitutional Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
*
Gunhild Stordalen (born 1979) – Physician and environmentalist, was married to the billionaire
Petter Stordalen
*
Jørgen Herman Vogt
Jørgen Herman Vogt (21 July 1784 – 12 January 1862) was a Norwegian politician who served as First Minister of Norway from 1856 to 1858, during the personal union between Sweden and Norway. The first minister was subordinated to the gover ...
(1784–1862) – First Minister of Norway, 1855 to 1858
The Arts

*
Tine Asmundsen
Tine Asmundsen (born 8 April 1963) is a Norwegian jazz bassist, known from her own band, Lonely Woman, playing with David Murray at Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2010.
Career
Asmundsen was born in Kongsberg, Norway. She started playing bass in Kongsb ...
(born 1963) – a Norwegian jazz bassist
*
Ingri d'Aulaire
Ingri d'Aulaire (December 27, 1904 – October 24, 1980) and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (September 30, 1898 – May 1, 1986) were writers and illustrators of children's books who worked primarily as a team, completing almost all of their well-known wo ...
(1904–1980) – American writer of children's books
*
Håkon Austbø
Håkon Austbø (born October 22, 1948) is a Norway, Norwegian European classical music, classical pianist. He has created many recordings for the label Brilliant Classics and Naxos Records, and is also a professor at the Amsterdam music school, co ...
(born 1948) – a classical pianist and academic in the Netherlands
*
Halfdan Cleve (1879–1951) – classical composer and music teacher
*
Ivar Grydeland
Ivar Grydeland (born 1 October 1976) is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar) and composer raised in Kongsberg.
Career
Grydeland was born in Trondheim, Norway, and studied jazz guitar at the Norwegian Academy of Music (1996–2000, and 2001–2 ...
(born 1976) –
jazz guitar
Jazz guitar may refer to either a type of electric guitar or a guitar playing style in jazz, using Guitar amplifier, electric amplification to increase the volume of acoustic guitars.
In the early 1930s, jazz musicians sought to amplify their ...
ist, raised in Kongsberg
*
Maurits Hansen
Maurits Christopher Hansen (5 July 1794 – 16 March 1842) was a Norwegian writer.
He was born in Modum as a son of Carl Hansen (1757–1826) and Abigael Wulfsberg (1758–1823). In October 1816 he married teacher Helvig Leschly (1789–1874). ...
(1794–1842) – journalist and novelist, teacher in Kongsberg from 1826
*
Morten Harket
Morten Harket (; born 14 September 1959) is a Norwegian singer who is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band A-ha.
A-ha has released 11 studio albums as of 2024, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough hit "Take On Me" i ...
(born 1959) – lead singer of the
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
band
a-ha
A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...
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Per Theodor Haugen
Per Theodor Haugen (8 October 1932 – 14 October 2018) was a Norwegian actor. Haugen was theater manager at Oslo Nye Teater from 1985 to 1988.
Haugen was born at Kongsberg. He was the son of Trygve Haugen (1897–1943) and his wife Hjørdis Wi ...
(1932–2018) – actor and theater manager
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Morten Qvenild
Morten Qvenild (born 31 August 1978) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, band leader, and producer.
Career
Qvenild started his jazz career in the big band Ung Musikk in 1995, followed by studies on the Jazz program at the Norges Musikkhøgskole. He u ...
(born 1978) –
jazz pianist
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the Musical ...
, band leader and producer
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Otto Sinding
Otto Ludvig Sinding (20 December 1842 – 22 November 1909) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, poet and dramatist. Sinding drew on motives from Norwegian nature, folk life and history.
Personal life
Otto Sinding was born in Kongsberg as a son ...
(1842–1909) – painter, illustrator, poet and dramatist
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Christian Sinding
Christian August Sinding (11 January 18563 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano '' Frühlingsrauschen'' (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his succ ...
(1856–1941) – composer and pianist
Sport

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Hans Beck
Hans Beck (6 May 1929, Greiz – 30 January 2009, Markdorf) was the German inventor of Playmobil toys. He is often described as "The Father of Playmobil". He began to make toys at an early age and trained as a cabinet maker, before being recrui ...
(1911–1996) – ski jumper, silver medalist at the
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake Placid 1932, were a winter multi-sport event in the United States, held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 ...
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Ailo Gaup (born 1979) – former
freestyle motocross
Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts.
The two main types of freestyle events are:
*Big air (also known as "best trick"), in wh ...
rider who invented the Underflip and won world title in
FMX
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Petter Hugsted (1921–2000) – ski jumper, gold medalist in the
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...
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Hjalmar Hvam Hjalmar Petterson Hvam (16 November 1902 – March 30, 1996) was a competitive Norwegian- American Nordic skier and inventor of the first safety ski binding.
Early life
Hvam was born in Kongsberg, Norway where he excelled at skiing as a yout ...
(1902–1996) – Nordic skier and invented the first safety ski binding
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Bryan King (born 1947) – British footballer with over 540 club caps and
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
, lives in Kongsberg
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Roy Mikkelsen (1907–1967) – an American Olympic ski jumper and US Champion
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Silje Norendal
Silje Norendal (born 1 September 1993) is a Norwegian former snowboarder. She competes in the slopestyle and big air events. Her local club is Kongsberg IF.
She won gold in women's slopestyle in Winter X Games Europe in Tignes in 2013.
In Janua ...
(born 1993) – Snowboarder and gold medalist in
Winter X Games
Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Diffe ...
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Birger Ruud
Birger Johannes Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier.
Career
Born in Kongsberg, Birger Ruud, with his brothers Sigmund and Asbjørn, dominated international jumping in the 1930s, winning three w ...
(1911–1998) – ski jumper, gold medalist at the
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
&
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...
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Sigmund Ruud
Sigmund Ruud (30 December 1907 – 7 April 1994) was a Norwegian ski jumper. Together with his brothers Birger and Asbjørn, he dominated ski jumping in the 1920s and 1930s.
Career
At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Sigmund earned a sil ...
(1907–1994) – ski jumper, silver medalist at the
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...
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Magnus Sylling Olsen (born 1983) – a retired Norwegian footballer with over 250 club caps
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Daniel-André Tande
Daniel-André Tande (; born 24 January 1994) is a Norwegian ski jumper, 2018 ski flying World Champion and 2018 team Olympic champion.
Career
Tande's first World Cup start was in Bad Mitterndorf on 11 January 2014. On 25 November 2015, he achiev ...
(born 1994) – ski jumper and team gold medalist at the
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...
Twin towns – sister cities
Kongsberg is
twinned with:
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Chitose, Japan
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Espoo
Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...
, Finland
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Gouda, Netherlands
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Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...
, Denmark
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Kristianstad
Kristianstad ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 41,198 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 1990s, the city has gone from being a garrison town to a developed commercial city, ...
, Sweden
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Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland.
Location
Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...
, Iceland
Gallery
File:Kongsberg stasjon.jpg, Kongsberg Rail Station
File:Bergseminaret 2010.JPG, Kongsberg School of Mines
File:Norwegian Mining Museum.jpg, Norwegian Mining Museum
File:Tinius Olsens skole.jpg, Tinius Olsens School
File:Kongsberg Bergskrivergaarden.jpg, Kongsberg Bergskrivergaarden
File:KRONA 4.jpg, University of South-Eastern Norway, campus Kongsberg
File:Kongsberg sykehus IMG 0489.JPG, Kongsberg hospital
See also
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Grøntjernkollen
Grøntjernkollen is a mountain on the border of Holmestrand Municipality in Vestfold county and Kongsberg Municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The tall mountain is located about northwest of the village of Hof, about southwest of the vil ...
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Kongsberg Skiing Museum
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Mykle
Mykle is a lake in the municipality of Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway.
Mykle is located below Bonden mountain near the border with Telemark. Mykle is part of the Siljan watershed (''Siljanvassdraget'') formed by rivers with headwaters at S ...
, lake
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Norwegian Mining Museum
References
;Notes
External links
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Photos of the town – old and new– Comprehensive information about the town and surrounding landscape, including photos and webcams
From VirtualTourist.com; contains tourist-submitted photos and articles
Kongsberg Jazz Festival– Official website, with lists of artists and concert dates
The Gloger Academy– History of the Gloger Organ and information on upcoming concerts and the Gloger Music Festival
LaagendalspostenLocal newspaper covering Kongsberg and
Numedal
Numedal () is a valley and a traditional district in Eastern Norway located within the county of Buskerud. It traditionally includes the municipalities Flesberg, Nore og Uvdal and Rollag. Administratively, it now also includes Kongsberg.
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{{Authority control
Municipalities of Buskerud
Ski areas and resorts in Norway
Cities and towns in Norway
Populated places established in 1624
Populated places on the Numedalslågen
1624 establishments in Norway