The visitor mine will reopen on May 13th.
From May 13th you can once again take the original mining locomotive 1.6 kilometers into Sulitjelma Mountain. Sulitjelma Visitor Mine opens for a new season, and experienced mining guides are ready to share stories about life as a miner in the 1900s.
"The big highlight for the adults is the conversations and stories – people like to talk and ask questions inside the mine. For the youngest, it's probably the trip in and out with the mine lid that's the big moment," says John Gunnar Olsen at Sulitjelma visitor mine.
Inside the mountain
The visitor mine is the so-called Grunnstollen, the entrance to a large network of mines inside the mountain. Work on the adit began in 1900, and in 1908 they were connected to the Giken mine, so that deep-lying ore could be transported out this way. From 1914, electric locomotives were used. Before that, horses were the driving force, and you can still see the metal fittings where they were tethered.
Falling copper prices eventually forced the mines to close. The last day of work in this mine was Friday, June 28, 1991. Photographs from the last shift are now on display inside the visitor mine.
Practical information
The tour takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. The temperature inside the mine is 6 to 8 degrees, so dress warmly. Helmets are required and will be given out upon arrival. Groups of max. 20 people per tour. Minimum age is 6 years. For safety reasons, all visitors must be able to walk and evacuate without assistance.
-When we can open the season depends on the weather – how much precipitation we have had, and whether the thaw is good in the spring. Frost and ice in the mountains increase the risk of rock loosening, and then we wait. Normally we open around mid-May and run tours until mid-September. For groups, we take tours on request beyond that as far as possible, says Olsen.
Ticket price: NOK 400. Tickets must be booked in advance.
