Skuterudåsen's waterways
Our major cultural trail project at the Northern Mines is a hike back to the very first part of the history of the Cobalt Works and Mines, which began in 1772.
In the Miner's House at the Mining Yard you can see an exhibition about Ole Witloch. This is the man who found cobalt ore at Skuterud Ridge in 1772, the first hunt for cobalt! Through our archive, we have a good clue as to what Ole Witloch's possessions were when he passed away. This is how we could recreate his environment.
If you follow the signs upwards along the enormous open-cast mines, you will come to the place where Witloch found the first cobalt ore. Recent research sheds new light on the discovery in 1772 and the trial operations in the following years before the construction of the Cobalt Works in 1776. With the help of historian and researcher Bjørn Ivar Berg, we have marked with great certainty exactly where the first discovery was made. Look out for an orange bubble floating in the quarry!
On the way up, you'll experience great viewpoints and get close to the part of the mining operation that didn't take place underground, namely the open-cast mines. The enormous masses of rock that were extracted, lying in neat layers, tell a clear story: There has been a lot going on here. Along the way, we practically walk in the mines’ cultural monuments. Here are the foundation walls for buildings that had different functions in mining and other traces of the extraction of ore from the Cobalt Mines, back to the beginning i 1772.
The trail goes all the way to the top of the North Mines, with several viewpoints provided at the edge of the deepest pits. There are informative signs posted along the way. This makes the hike an exciting and educational journey into a distinctive mining landscape.
Take in the fantastic view - down towards the opencast mines and the Mining Yard, but also to the valley and Tyrifjorden.
Kongestein, crushed stone and dams
At the top of the North Mines are the "royal stones". You are following in royal footsteps here: Look for the orange inscriptions in the rock made by King Harald V and Minister of Finance von Stemann.
You then come to Nordgruvetjern, where the collieries from the first operation in the 1770s have been restored. From Nordgruvetjern, with its magnificent dam wall, the walls of three collieries lie in a row down the hill, showing the waterway downwards. Here we have reconstructed the water channel and one of the crusher houses to show the dimensions of the plant here. Parts of the original water wheel in one of the crushing plants are also on display here.
Further on from the crushed stone works, you can choose to return to Gruvetråkka by taking the shortcut past DNTs tourist cabin KoboltkoiaThis is a self-catering tourist cabin with 12 beds, in fantastic surroundings.
If you want to do the whole loop, follow the signs down the hill, past a small salamander pond, and down on the old paths towards Stolldammen. Here you'll pass both quartz quarries and the beautiful wall of "Fempottingen" with its fine zigzag shape. Ludwig Eugen Stollen is also located at Stolldammen. This is where you come out of the Cobalt Mines if you are on the Mine safaris. Here we have also recovered the walls of the steam engine that once powered Norway's first compressed air drill used inside the Cobalt mines in the 1870s.
Then follow the road back to the "main road" up to Koboltgruvene. The entire circuit from Gruvetråkka, around and back to Gruvetråkka is approx. 3 km.
Out of season and outside our opening hours, you can park outside the gate to Koboltgruvene.
The first part of the tour (up to the "king stones") has organised viewpoints towards the quarries so that everyone can get up close. These are also customised electric whhelchairs. The terrain and the height difference on the tour makes us recommend an electric wheel-chair.
The tour can be travelled in both directions.
Around the Blue Colour Mill
Also check out our culture trail at The blue colour plant.
