World Heritage Identification Number: 1027
World Heritage since: 2001
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun: A Testament to Centuries of Mining History
The Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, offers a unique insight into the rich history of copper mining that spans over a thousand years. Located in the picturesque landscape of Dalarna, Sweden, this site serves as a testament to the significant role mining played in shaping the region's economy, culture, and technological advancements.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The enormous mining excavation known as the Great Pit at Falun is the most striking feature of a landscape that illustrates the activity of copper production in this region since at least the 13th century. The 17th-century planned town of Falun with its many fine historic buildings, together with the industrial and domestic remains of a number of settlements spread over a wide area of the Dalarna region, provide a vivid picture of what was for centuries one of the world's most important mining areas.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ii): Copper mining at Falun was influenced by German technology, but this was to become the major producer of copper in the 17th century and exercised a profound influence on mining technology in all parts of the world for two centuries.
Criterion (iii): The entire Falun landscape is dominated by the remains of copper mining and production, which began as early as the 9th century and came to an end in the closing years of the 20th century.
Criterion (v): The successive stages in the economic and social evolution of the copper industry in the Falun region, from a form of “cottage industry” to full industrial production, can be seen in the abundant industrial, urban, and domestic remains characteristic of this industry that still survive.
Encyclopedia Record: Falun Mine
Falun Mine was a mine in Falun, Sweden, that operated for a millennium from the 10th century to 1992. It produced as much as two-thirds of Europe's copper needs and helped fund many of Sweden's wars in the 17th century. Technological developments at the mine had a profound influence on mining globally for two centuries. The mine is now a museum and in 2001 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Additional Site Details
Area: 42.82 hectares
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
Coordinates: 60.60472 , 15.63083
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© Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
