Verket 20 in Moss is a restored mid-1700s worker dwelling from Moss Jernverk, an ironworks founded in 1704 by Danish entrepreneur Ernst Ulrich Dose. That same year, King Frederick IV visited Moss twice, and a letter of privilege was issued. The ironworks exploited iron ore and waterpower from Mossefossen, the town's waterfall, and by the mid-1700s it had become Norway's leading armory, producing hundreds of heavy iron cannons for the Danish-Norwegian fleet. Under owner Bernt Anker, one of Norway's most powerful businessmen, the cannons gained a reputation for superior quality and a monopoly on supplying the navy. At its peak the works employed around 340 workers who received free housing, a company school, medical services, and exemption from military service.
Right next door at Verket 22 stands the Konventionsgården, the ironworks administration building completed in 1778. On 14 August 1814, the Mossekonvensjonen, the Convention of Moss, was signed here, a ceasefire between Sweden and Norway that preserved Norwegian autonomy. Norway had written its constitution at Eidsvoll on 17 May that same year, and the Convention ensured it survived. Norway entered only a personal union with Sweden, keeping its constitution largely intact. That union lasted until dissolution in 1905.
After the ironworks closed in 1873, the industrial legacy continued when M. Peterson & Son opened a cellulose and paper factory on the site in the 1880s. Paper production lasted until 2012. The entire Verket area has since been redeveloped into a cultural quarter, with old factory buildings converted into housing, cultural spaces, and the concert venue Verket Scene. The Verket 20 exhibition documenting daily life across this 300-year arc opened in 2014 for the bicentennial of the Norwegian constitution.
Right next door at Verket 22 stands the Konventionsgården, the ironworks administration building completed in 1778. On 14 August 1814, the Mossekonvensjonen, the Convention of Moss, was signed here, a ceasefire between Sweden and Norway that preserved Norwegian autonomy. Norway had written its constitution at Eidsvoll on 17 May that same year, and the Convention ensured it survived. Norway entered only a personal union with Sweden, keeping its constitution largely intact. That union lasted until dissolution in 1905.
After the ironworks closed in 1873, the industrial legacy continued when M. Peterson & Son opened a cellulose and paper factory on the site in the 1880s. Paper production lasted until 2012. The entire Verket area has since been redeveloped into a cultural quarter, with old factory buildings converted into housing, cultural spaces, and the concert venue Verket Scene. The Verket 20 exhibition documenting daily life across this 300-year arc opened in 2014 for the bicentennial of the Norwegian constitution.
