Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
Royal Silver Mines
MINE
(
91 91 32 00;
http://norsk-bergverksmuseum.no/omvisning
; adult/child Nkr150/90;
hourly
tours 11am-4pm Jul-mid-Aug, shorter hours mid-May-Jun, Sep & Oct)
The profusion of silver mines in Kongsberg's hinterland is known collectively as Sølv-
gruvene. The easiest way to visit is with the
tours
that leave from the signposted Kongs-
gruvene, 700m from Saggrenda (8km south of Kongsberg along the road to Notodden).
The admission price includes a bus ride from outside Kongsberg's tourist office.
Ride a 2.3km rail along the
stoll,
a tunnel painstakingly chipped through the mountain
to drain water from the mines. The main shaft of the largest mine plunges 1070m into the
mountain, down to 550m below sea level.
Constructed without machinery or dynamite - the rock was removed by heating it with
fire, then throwing water on the rock to crack it - the tunnel moved forward at 7cm per day
and took 73 years (from 1782 to 1855) to complete.
Inside, visitors are guided around equipment used in the extraction of silver, including
an ingenious creaking and grinding lift and work area on 65 wet and slippery ladders.
Bring warm clothing as the underground temperatures can be a chilly 6°C.
Travellers with disabilites and children under three are not allowed to enter the mines
for safety reasons (it's also not recommend for under fives).
Other activities organised in and around the mine include learning how to mint your
own coins (sadly though we're yet to find a bank willing to accept the ones we made) and a
crash course in digging a mine in your own garden. With advance reservation you can join
a
rope-and-torch tour
( 91 91 32 00; per group Nkr10,000)
, which begins with a 1km walk
through Crown Prince Fredrik's tunnel. You must then abseil by torchlight 112m down into
the mine, after what is hopefully not a 'crash' course in abseiling.
Norwegian Mining Museum
MUSEUM
child Nkr80/40; 10am-5pm mid-May-Aug, noon-4pm Tue-Sun Sep-mid-May)
Set in a smelter dating from 1844 (the old furnaces survive in the basement), this museum
tells Kongsberg's story with relics, models and mineral displays. In the same building, oth-
