Southern Norway - Norway - page 217

Admission to all four museums costs 50NOK ($7.10) for adults and 10NOK
($1.40) for children under 16. From mid-May until the end of August, hours
are 10am to 5pm daily; off-season hours are noon to 4pm daily.
You might also want to explore Lågdalsmuseet (Lågdal Folk Museum),
Tillischbakken 8-10 ( & 32-73-34-68 ), a 12-minute stroll southeast from the
rail depot. Nearly three dozen antique farmhouses and miners' cottages were
moved to this site. This is the most history-rich exhibit of how life used to be
lived in the scenic Numedal Valley, which was mainly home to the families of
miners and farmers. The 19th-century workshops you'd expect (most open-air
museums in Norway have these), but the optics museum and the World War II
Resistance Museum come as a surprise. Admission is 40NOK ($5.70) for adults
and 10NOK ($1.40) for children. From June 23 to August 15, the museum is
open daily from 11am to 5pm. From mid-May to June 22 and August 16 to
August 31, it is open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. In the off season,
hours are Monday to Friday 11am to 3:30pm.
The town's big attraction is still the Kongsberg Sølvgruver ( & 32-72-
32-00 ), the old silver mines that put Kongsberg on the map in the first place.
To reach these mines, you can take an Expressen Bus from Kongsberg to the
hamlet of Saggrenda, a distance of 8km (5 miles) taking 10 minutes and costing
45NOK ($6.40). Departures are hourly from Kongsberg. Once at Saggrenda, it
is a 10- to 15-minute walk to the entrance to the mines, where you can take a
guided tour lasting 90 minutes. You can also drive from Kongsberg to Sag-
grenda, a distance of 8km (5 miles) to the southwest following Route 11.
The tour of the mines begins with a ride on a little train going 2.3km (1 1 ⁄ 2
miles) inside the mountain containing the King's Mine, a journey back in time.
The train stops at a depth of 342m (1,122 ft.) below ground. This is the
entrance to the King's Mine, which reaches a total depth of 1,070m (3,510 ft.)
below the earth. You can still see the Fahrkunst, invented by German miners.
Dating from 1880, it was the first “elevator” to carry miners up and down. You'll
also see the old mining equipment on display.
Regardless of the time of year, wear warm clothing before descending into the
mines. During July and mid-August, tours are conducted at hourly intervals,
every day of the week from 10am to 4pm. From mid-August until late August,
there are only three tours a day, at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. During September
there's only one tour a week, on Sunday, departing “sometime between 1 and
1:30pm.” The rest of the year, the mines are completely closed. Tours, including
the ride aboard the underground train, cost 125NOK ($18) for adults and
50NOK ($7.10) for persons under 16.
WHERE TO STAY
Best Western Gyldenløve Hotell In the town center stands this durable
old favorite, still evoking the 1950s (the era it was built), although it was last
remodeled in 2000. Bedrooms are medium in size and furnished like standard
motel rooms—not stylish but comfortable, each equipped with a midsize bath-
room with a tub or shower. There is also a small pharmacy on-site, a whirlpool,
and a sauna where guests can meet fellow guests while turning lobster red. The
on-site full-service restaurant serves a respectable international cuisine.
Hermann Fossgate 1, N-3600. & 800/237-8483 or 32-86-58-00. Fax [phone]. www.bestwestern.com.
62 units. 875NOK-1,450NOK ($124-$206) double; 995NOK-1,460NOK ($141-$207) suite. AE, DC, MC, V.
Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; indoor pool; exercise room; Jacuzzi; sauna; laundry service/dry clean-
ing; nonsmoking rooms; pharmacy; rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room:TV, dataport, minibar, hair
dryer, iron, beverage maker.