Gammelgruva Løkken

Løkken Old Mine

Useful Information

Location:	At Løkken, Meldal. 70 km southwest of Trondheim.
Open:	Information Center: JAN to MAY Mon-Fri 8-16, Sat, Sun 14-16. JUN to AUG Mon-Fri 8-18, Sat, Sun 10-18. SEP to DEC Mon-Fri 8-16, Sat, Sun 14-16. The Old Mine: JUN to AUG daily 13. [2005]
Fee:	Information Center: Adults NOK 50, Retired NOK 25, Children NOK 25, Family NOK 120. The Old Mine: Adults NOK 50, Retired NOK 25, Children NOK 25, Family NOK 120. The Thamshavn Railway: Adults NOK 80, Retired NOK 40, Children NOK 40, Family NOK 200. [2005]
Classification:	Copper Mine, chalcopyrite (cuprous pyrite) ore
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	ORKLA Industrimuseum, Torfinn Bjørnaas' plass 2, P. Boks 23, N-7332 Løkken Verk, Tel: +47-7249-9100, Fax: +47-7249-9101. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1652	ore discovered.
1654	mine at Løkken Verk opened.
1904	Christian Thams founds Orkla Gruve and modernizes the mining.
1963	passenger trains replace by busses.
1974	mine reorganized and railway closed.
1983	Thamshavn railway opened as a museum railway.
1987	Gammelgruva closed.

Description

The Gammelgruva (Old Mine) at Løkken is the biggest of many mines in the area. It once had the biggest chalcopyrite deposit in the world. After more than 300 years of mining the deposits are now more or less depleted. What remains is a mine of impressive dimensions. The Fagerli Hall, 400 m deep inside the mountain, has an area of 1,300 m² and is 15 m high. It is also named Arbeidets og Slitets Katedral (Cathedral of Work and Toil). Because of its good acoustics it is used for concerts and other events. For concerts the hall takes 500 persons, for dining 200 persons.

The most important person in the history of the mine was Christian Thams. He was entrepreneur, hunter, minister and architect. He founded the Orkla Gruve company and industrialized the historic mine. He designed his house Bårdshaug at Orkanger himself and was visited by important people from all over Europe.

The mining history of the districts of Orkdal and Meldal is collected in the ORKLA Industrimuseum. The most attracting sights are the Thamshavn Railway and the Old Mine, both operated by the museum. A classic museum is located at the center of Løkken Verk explaining the history and the technology of the local mining industry. It organizes day trips for groups, including all three sights, with a lunch either in the railway or in the mine.

The Thamshavn Railway is the world's oldest AC-driven railway. It connects the mine with the harbour at Thamshavn, and was primarily built to transport copper ore to the harbour. It was the first electric railway in Norway, and is still running with locomotives from the years 1908 and 1917.