Skara Silver Mines

Skara Sølvgruver in Øvre Eiker is the easternmost silver mine field in the Kongsberg mining district. The deposit was officially discovered in 1769 by prospector Ener Caspersen Kiemp, and twenty shafts were eventually opened. The deepest, shaft no. 14 (also called Skara Ertzdyb), reached 116 meters. The mines came with worker housing, horse mills, a smithy with coal house, stables and a powder magazine. Some workers commuted from Kongsberg while others lived on smallholdings in Lurdalen. A London-based company, The Skara (Norwegian) Silver Mining Company Ltd., made a last attempt at extraction in 1862-1863 but recovered only about five kilograms of silver. Final activity ceased shortly after 1900. The old mine entrances and foundations remain in the forest, marked by a brown tourist sign along the local road.