Kongsberg exists because of silver. In 1623, two shepherd boys found native silver in the mountains here, and King Christian IV founded the town the following year. The silver mines operated for 335 years, until 1958, producing over 1.3 million kilograms of silver. At their peak in the 1770s, the mines employed over 4,000 workers and supplied more than 10 percent of the gross national product of the entire Danish-Norwegian union. Kongsberg was Norway's second largest city, after Bergen.
The Royal Mint moved here from Akershus in 1686 to be closer to the silver, and it is still here. Kongsberg remains the place where Norwegian coins are minted. They also produce coins for other countries.
The other thing Kongsberg is famous for is skiing. Between about 1925 and 1950, skiers from this town dominated Norwegian and international ski jumping. The Kongsberg period, as it is called, produced around 5,000 prizes, including 6 Olympic medals and 16 world championship medals. The ski jumping tradition is still alive here.
Today the town has about 28,000 inhabitants and is a technology hub, home to Kongsberg Gruppen, a major defence and maritime technology company. The Norsk Bergverksmuseum covers the mining history, and you can visit the old silver mines themselves with a guided tour that takes you deep underground. If you are driving towards Notodden and Rjukan, Kongsberg is a natural stop on the way.
The Royal Mint moved here from Akershus in 1686 to be closer to the silver, and it is still here. Kongsberg remains the place where Norwegian coins are minted. They also produce coins for other countries.
The other thing Kongsberg is famous for is skiing. Between about 1925 and 1950, skiers from this town dominated Norwegian and international ski jumping. The Kongsberg period, as it is called, produced around 5,000 prizes, including 6 Olympic medals and 16 world championship medals. The ski jumping tradition is still alive here.
Today the town has about 28,000 inhabitants and is a technology hub, home to Kongsberg Gruppen, a major defence and maritime technology company. The Norsk Bergverksmuseum covers the mining history, and you can visit the old silver mines themselves with a guided tour that takes you deep underground. If you are driving towards Notodden and Rjukan, Kongsberg is a natural stop on the way.