Konnerud Gruver

Konnerudgruvene - Konnerud Hill Mines


Useful Information

Location: At Konnerud, near Drammen. From Oslo Rv16 (E18) to Drammen, Rv 36 to Konnerud, at Konnerud turn first right. Signposted.
Open:
Fee: Adults NOK 30, Children (6-18) NOK 15.
Groups: 20 persons NOK 500, 30 persons NOK 750, 40 persons NOK 1000.
[2005]
Classification: MineCopper Mine MineSilver Mine
Light: LightIncandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Konnerud Gruver, Box 9026, N-3006 Drammen, +46-32-886082, +47-32-886940. E-mail: contact
Booking: Tel: +47-41-459518.
Turistkontoret (Tourist Information), Tel: +47-32-806210, Fax: +47-32-806631
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

16th century first mining.
1729 mining operation started by Det jarlsbergske Sølvhaltige Blye- og Kobberværk (The Jarlsbergian Silver, Lead and Copper Mine).
1913 finally closed.
1996 opened to the public.

Description

Konnerud Gruber are numerous mines at Konnerud Hill. The minerals were mined since the 16th century, but the first underground mining operation started in 1729. Det jarlsbergske Sølvhaltige Blye- og Kobberværk (The Jarlsbergian Silver, Lead and Copper Mine) was the company which first mined here. The mining was closed varaious times, later reopened, but finally it closed in 1913.

The mine is very famous among mineral collectors. Most important are amethysts and other varieties of quartz, fluorites and even calcites. There is a mineral museum, called Stiftelsen Konnerudverket, showing about 100 different local minerals.

There are numerous mines in the area, Dalegruben, Dessau Mine, Grube Erlich, Kontaktstollen, Nordskjerp, and Wedelseie mine. The mining was firstly about the ore, a polymetallic deposit with metals in various contents, mostly copper, cink, lead, iron, silver, and more. But the deposit formed as a hydrothermal deposit, caused by the nearby Drammen granite intrusion. The result are seams with many different ores and minerals.

A mine train on a 600mm gauge is used to take visitors 500 m deep into the tunnel of the Kontaktstollen. Several industrial locomotives are used or may be visited in front of the mine. Halfway is the Vaskeriet (laundry). At the end of the train ride, in the Konnerudgubbens Hall, the tour starts and shows 200 m more of the mine. This part of the mine was made between 1905 and 1913, the last years of the mine. Shafts, loading station, and the machinery of this era is shown.

The next part of the visit, after a little ascent, shows the Wedels eies stoll or Hovedstollen. This was made between 1730 and 1770. At this time the fire of wood was used to heat the rocks, which was then cooled abruptly by water. This made the rock weak and easy to remove. This part of the tour shows the oldest mining technologies and equipment used at Konnerud.