Origins of the Statue of Liberty

In Norway the copper mining history dates back to the end of the Viking Age. On a little island of Karmoy in Visnes there was an important Gronnevik copper mine and the Åmdals Verk, in Tokke, Telemark, is one of the oldest in Norway.

Visnes
In 1865 a rich copper ore was discovered in Visnes. By 1895 the mine had been excavated to a depth of  730 m under the sea level, and some 1,8 million tonnes of copper ore had been extracted. During these years, up to  70% of Norway’s copper export came from Visnes, which at that time was one of the largest mines in Northern Europe.

Many of us know the Statue of Liberty in the harbour of New York, but a few know that the green patinated copper originates in Visnes, Norway. The statue, formed of copper sheets reverted on an iron framework weighs 254 tonnes, and it measures 93,5 m from the bottom of the pedestal to the tip of the torch.

Visnes Copper mine at Karmoy, a small rocky island on the west coast of Norway is situated South from Bergen and North from Stavanger. A bridge leads to the island from the town of Haugesund.

Åmdal Verk
In Tokke county it has been found that since the Viking Age some mining activities have been going on.  The copper mine was founded in 1540 by German miners, who were brought to Telemark by King Christian III of Denmark-Norway. He tried to develop the mining industry in Norway. The first mine was called Moisesberg. The mine was closed after the II World War in 1945. Åmdal Verk had a significant importance in the development of the Telemark area.