Handsome long history

The Falu copper mine is situated in the Swedish Dalarna. It has a handsome history dating back to 1288. However, investigations carried out by geological methods indicate that mining operations were started sometime in 850, that is towards the end of the Viking Age. Mining operations continued until December 8, 1992.

The economic and political importance of the mine increased steadily, particularly during the late 15th and 16th centuries. During the latter part of the 16th century, new, rich ores were discovered, but the really great period of the mine came in the 17th century, with a peak around the middle, when 3,000 tons of crude copper was extracted from the ores mined. The income derived from the Copper Mountain contributed essentially to the economic basis on which Sweden, then emerging as a great power, could pursue its expansive foreign policy. At times the mine accounted for almost two-thirds of the total world output of copper.
Many copper plates were sold to European countries to cover the roofs of churches, castles and palaces.

Falu’s copper was used in the riksdaler, currency of Sweden at that time, as early as 1604. One riksdaler could weigh some 20 kilos. Falukorv – the popular sausage that is still being sold in Sweden has its origin in Falu. And, who has not seen the red painted attractive wooden houses in the Swedish countryside? Rawmaterial to the red paint – Falu red comes from the waste heaps around the Falu mine.

In 2001, UNESCO declared the mine and the historical industrial landscape with the mining environment around Falun a World Heritage Site.