Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the exclusion of places further north. Tiny countryside villages and rolling meadows
sweet with the smell of summer flowers make up most of Dalarna, a rural idyll given a
handsome backdrop by the land to the northwest of Lake Siljan, which rises slowly to
meet the chain of mountains that forms the border with Norway. One small lakeside
town can look pretty much like another, so if time is short, restrict yourself to visiting
just one or two:
Leksand
and
Mora
are the best options, and the latter is also the
starting point for Sweden's most beautiful train journey, along the
Inlandsbanan
to the
Arctic Circle.
North of Mora, the province becomes more mountainous and less populous, the only
place of note here being
Orsa
, with its fascinating
bear park
. here's no need to worry
about
accommodation
in the province: you'll find numerous hotels, hostels and
campsites around.
Falun and around
About 220km northwest of Stockholm and 90km west of Gävle,
FA LU N
is essentially
an industrial town - a pleasant one at that - known for copper mining, which began
here in the eleventh century; today, the mines, which closed as recently as 1992, can
be visited on hour-long guided tours. Falun is also handily placed for a jaunt to nearby
Sundborn
, the former home of well-known artist, Carl Larsson, whose back-to-basics
paintings have had more than a passing influence on IKEA's designs over the years.
The mines
Guided tours: May-Sept daily 9.30am-4.30pm; Oct-April daily noon-4pm • 190kr including museum; 50kr for museum only • English
commentary available •
W
falugruva.se • From the centre walk around 1km along Bergshauptmansgatan right to the far end
Falun grew in importance during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when its
copper mines
produced two-thirds of the world's copper ore. Commensurate with its
status as what was then the second largest town in Sweden, Falun acquired grand
buildings and an air of prosperity. The few old, wooden houses that survive (in 1761,
two fires wiped out virtually all of central Falun) are worth seeking out to gain an idea
of the cramped conditions mine workers had to live in; you'll find these buildings in
the districts of
Elsborg
(southwest of the centre), Gamla Herrgården and Östanfors
(both north of the centre).
By far the most interesting attraction in Falun is its
mines
. Mandatory
guided tours
,
lasting around an hour, are organized on the site, beginning with an elevator ride 55m
down to a network of old mine roads and drifts. The temperature down below is only
5°C, so make sure you bring warm clothing; try also to wear old shoes, as your
footwear is likely to come out tinged red.
8
Museum
The site has a worthy
museum
, recounting the history of Falun's copper production.
Conditions below ground in the mines were appalling, said by the botanist Carl von
Linné to be as dreadful as hell itself. One of the most dangerous aspects of eighteenth-
century copper mining was the presence everywhere in the mines of
vitriol
gases, which
SWEDEN'S RED HOUSES
As you travel around Sweden, you can't help but notice that virtually every timber structure is
painted deep red. Many outsiders mistakenly see this lack of individuality and expression as
stifling social democractic conformity. It is actually more a question of practicalities. In a
climate as severe as Sweden's, wood needs special protection from the elements and the red
paint used on structures across the country, produced in Falun, contains a natural copper
preservative. Known as
Falu rödfärg
, this paint is Sweden's aesthetically more pleasing
answer to pebbledash.
