Klackbergs gruvfält

Klackberg mining fields

The Klackberg mining field has a long and fascinating history. As early as 1303 it is mentioned in a letter as “Stålberget” (“the Steel Mountain”), where the oldest sections are called Springegruvan and Solskensbergsgruvan. At that time, people believed that steel and iron were two different metals.

Norberg has some of the very oldest mines in Sweden. A charter of privileges (a letter granting miners the right to extract ore from a mine) dates from 1354 and was issued by King Magnus Eriksson, permitting mining operations in Norberg.

Mining transformed the entire landscape. The industry required not only ore in the mountain but also plentiful forest from which charcoal could be produced, so that the furnaces used to smelt the ore into iron could be heated. As a result, the miners moved into wilderness areas that had previously seen no human settlement. There they established homes with their families and servants. Soon the blacksmiths arrived to forge the iron into tools, and the carters who drove horses pulling wagons laden with charcoal and iron bound for sale – along with many others.

Today, in Blå grottan (blue cave), visitors can see how an adit was driven through the rock using fire. The method is known as fire-setting and involved lighting fires against the rock face, making the rock brittle and easier to break. The rock surfaces became smooth and softly rounded through this technique. By contrast, blasting – introduced in the 17th century – shattered the rock, and drill holes where gunpowder or dynamite was placed can still be seen. In the tunnel leading from Storgruvan (the Big mine), through which the ore was transported to the railway, one can see how the rock face appears where miners blasted their way forward.

At the hoisting sites outside the mines, ore dressing took place. Often women or child labourers washed the finely crushed ore with water and then shook the small fragments in a pan to separate the ore from the waste rock. At first, this work was carried out in the open air, and later in special buildings known as sorting houses, where the ore was tipped onto moving picking belts and sorted into different grades.

The buildings that stand in Klackberg today date from 1880 to 1920. The two circular headframes, built of slag brick and decorated with ornamental details and arched windows, are unique of their kind. Beneath both headframes are shafts several hundred metres deep, from which ore was raised. This was a transformative period in mining history. First came steam power, making work much easier. Only forty years later, electricity arrived. Now there could be electric drills, hoists, water pumps – mines became even larger and deeper.

Underground mining at Klackberg continued until 1967. Hoists, winding gear, and some machinery are still preserved. Digital guided tours are available (Swedish only).

Small photo no 1: Fredrik Findahl
Small photo no  2: Bisse Falk