Central Norway - Norway - page 317

1679, and the smelter was damaged by fire again in 1953. In 1977, after 333 years of oper-
ation, the company went bankrupt.
Sights
Historic District FORMER MINING BUILDINGS &
HOUSES
Røros' historic district, characterised by the striking log architecture of its 80 protected
buildings, takes in the entire central area. The two main streets, Bergmannsgata (it tapers
from southwest to northeast to create an optical illusion and make the town appear larger
than it is) and Kjerkgata , are lined with historical homes and buildings, all under preser-
vationorders.Theentireareaislikeanarchitectural museumofoldNorway;foroneofthe
loveliest turf-roofed homes you'll see, head up to the top of Kjerkgata to the house sign-
posted as Harald Sohlbergs Plass 59 .
If Røros looks familiar, that's because several films have been made here, including
Røros author Johan Falkberget's classic An-Magrit, starring Jane Fonda. Flanderborg gate
starred in some of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking classics and Røros even stood in
for Siberia in A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich .
Røros Kirke CHURCH
Offline map Google map (Kjerkgata) Closed for major renovations when we were there,
Røros' Lutheran church is one of Norway's most distinctive, not to mention one of the
largest, with a seating capacity of 1640. The first church on the site was constructed in
1650,butithadfallenintodisrepairbythemid-18thcenturyandfrom1780anewbaroque-
style church (the one you see today) was built just behind the original at a cost of 23,000
riksdaler (one riksdaler is the equivalent of Nkr4, and at the time miners earned about 50
riksdaler per year).
TheposhKing'sGalleryattheback,identifiedbybothroyalandminingcompanylogos,
has never hosted a king; visiting royals have always opted to sit among the people. Unusu-
ally,thepulpitsitsoverthealtarpiece, whiletheorgan(1742)istheoldestNorwegian-built
organ still functioning.
Until 1865 the building was owned by the mining company and this is reflected in the
church art. By the altar you'll see the grizzled Hans Olsen Åsen among other company
dignitaries. There are also paintings of the author Johan Falkberget and the original 1650
church.