Running the smelting houses at Røros required enormous water power to drive the water wheels, bellows and heavy hammers. The Copper Works were fortunate that the Glomma river system, Norway's longest, flows through the region, but even that was not always enough. To guarantee a steady water supply, the company built a series of dams across the Hitterdal and Hadal valleys.
The Djupsjø and Hittersjø dams, visible along Route 31, held back water that was released in controlled flows to the main smelting house at Malmplassen. Further north, the Torresdal dam at the end of Rambergsjøen secured water for floating timber from Femunden. Water management was a constant headache: in 1759, the dam at Tallsjøen in Tolga burst, and the flood was powerful enough to sweep away the entire smelting house downstream.
These dams are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized as essential industrial infrastructure that kept the Copper Works running for over three centuries. They show how mining in this region was not just about digging ore, but about controlling an entire landscape of water, timber and transport.
The Djupsjø and Hittersjø dams, visible along Route 31, held back water that was released in controlled flows to the main smelting house at Malmplassen. Further north, the Torresdal dam at the end of Rambergsjøen secured water for floating timber from Femunden. Water management was a constant headache: in 1759, the dam at Tallsjøen in Tolga burst, and the flood was powerful enough to sweep away the entire smelting house downstream.
These dams are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized as essential industrial infrastructure that kept the Copper Works running for over three centuries. They show how mining in this region was not just about digging ore, but about controlling an entire landscape of water, timber and transport.
