Fauske is a small transit town on the Salten coast, but beneath its surface lies one of Norway's most unlikely exports. The quarries at nearby Finneid produce Norwegian Rose marble, a stone formed 450 to 525 million years ago, in shades ranging from warm pink through grey to faint olive green. Up to 16 distinct varieties have been identified. Norway's largest marble quarry covers 13.5 acres here.
The stone was first noticed in 1765 when Danish King Frederik V drew attention to the deposit, but large-scale quarrying began in the 1880s. For decades, huge blocks were shipped through the Freeport of Copenhagen to clients around the world. Norwegian Rose marble lines the walls of the United Nations headquarters in New York, Oslo Rådhus, Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen, the Norwegian Royal Palace, and the former ISS head office in Copenhagen. The town square, Marmortorget (Marble Square), is named in its honour.
Fauske marks the point where the railway and the northbound road part ways. The Nordlandsbanen from Trondheim passes through Fauske after 729 kilometres, then turns west to its terminus at Bodø. The E6, meanwhile, continues north. For travellers heading to Lofoten, Narvik, or Tromsø, Fauske is where you leave the northbound route behind and switch to bus, car, or Hurtigruten. Beyond Bodø, the Norwegian rail network simply ends.
The stone was first noticed in 1765 when Danish King Frederik V drew attention to the deposit, but large-scale quarrying began in the 1880s. For decades, huge blocks were shipped through the Freeport of Copenhagen to clients around the world. Norwegian Rose marble lines the walls of the United Nations headquarters in New York, Oslo Rådhus, Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen, the Norwegian Royal Palace, and the former ISS head office in Copenhagen. The town square, Marmortorget (Marble Square), is named in its honour.
Fauske marks the point where the railway and the northbound road part ways. The Nordlandsbanen from Trondheim passes through Fauske after 729 kilometres, then turns west to its terminus at Bodø. The E6, meanwhile, continues north. For travellers heading to Lofoten, Narvik, or Tromsø, Fauske is where you leave the northbound route behind and switch to bus, car, or Hurtigruten. Beyond Bodø, the Norwegian rail network simply ends.