Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tradition says a goat called Kåre first drew attention to the copper reserves when he
rolled in the earth and pranced back to the village with red horns. The first historical men-
tion is in a document from 1288, when the Bishop of Västerås bought shares in the com-
pany. As a by-product, the mine produced the red paint that became a characteristic of
Swedish houses - Falu Red is still used today. The mine finally closed in 1992.
When you buy your ticket, ask for a map of the walking routes around the area - there
are some very pretty trails that follow the path of the water once used to power the mine.
Suggested routes range from 1.5km to a nice 12.2km ramble.
If you're getting peckish, the pretty cafe Gjuthuset, serving coffee, sandwiches and
cake, teeters on the edge of the Great Pit. Opposite the main reception is
Geschworner-
gården Värdshus
( 023-78 26 16; lunch Skr85)
, which is a more stately affair and does
excellent hot lunch specials.
Mine Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.falugruva.se
;
adult/child Skr80/40;
10am-5:30pm daily Jul & Aug, 10am-5:30pm Mon-Fri,
noon-4pm Sat & Sun May, Jun & Sep)
The mine museum, just behind the ticket-sales building at the entrance to the mining com-
plex, contains everything you could possibly want to know about the history, administra-
tion, engineering, geology and copper production of the mine, plus displays about the
miners' hospital, the world's biggest coin, and various myths and legends about the mine.
Carl Larsson-gården
HISTORIC BUILDING
(
023-600 53;
www.clg.se
;
Sundborn; tours adult/child/family Skr160/60/550;
frequent tours in
English 10am-5pm May-Sep, 11am Mon-Fri & 1pm Sat & Sun Jan-Apr; ; 64)
Whatever you do, don't miss Carl Larsson-gården, home of artist Carl Larsson and his
wife, Karin, in the picturesque village of Sundborn. After the couple's deaths, their
early-20th-century home was preserved in its entirety by their children, but it's no gloomy
memorial. Lilla Hyttnäs is a work of art, full of brightness, humour and love.
Tours (45 minutes) run hourly; call in advance for the times of English tours (alternat-
ively, borrow an English handbook and follow a Swedish tour).
Superb colour schemes and furniture fill the house: Carl's portraits of his wife and chil-
dren are everywhere, and Karin's tapestries and embroidery reveal she was as skilled an
