Travel Norway #13 - Visiting an old copper mine - Christianus Sextus Gruve

Welcome all!

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This is 13th part of a series and tomorrow is 13th of June - my birthday :D ... but not about this today!

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Welcome to my new post from Travel Norway series - this time I will take You to short photographic journey to very unique and original place - old, abandoned, ruined but still beautifull copper mine called Christianus Sextus Gruve.

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The place is very special for me, I have been visiting the mine and area twice already - one was in 2016 in time of autumn, and latest 2018 - early summer. On the pictures You can see how the location looks like in totally different lighting conditions and different seasons of the year.

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Like I said, the place is special for me - why? I am not really sure, I just feel something magical there, maybe because of the mining fields area- I love geology, love to collect minerals, love to be there among the colorful piles of crushed
rocks, seen all the changed by human hand landscapes... Or maybe because of the fantastic open spaces which we can experience climbing on nearby tops... Or maybe there are some unseen, strange energetic fields which I feel - there is something mystical and magical there for sure. Unique nd original are the good words to describe the wole area of mines called Nordgruvefeltet.

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Some history and facts about the place:
Christianus Sextus is a name of a copper/pyrite mine situated in area known as Nordgruve feltet in middle Norway, near the Glamos and Roros area. The mine was driven in two periods between 1723 and 1940. During these times many things have changed - from techniques of mining, hand work has been switched to machines and diamond drills - to transportation, where mined minerals have been taken first by horses, than the special railway has been build nearby. Last mining activities has place in Sextus in 1940 and the Nordgruvefeltet area is inactive mining field since 1945. In the whole area Christianus Sextus is the best preserved and the biggest mine. Many other mines are spreading on the nearby hills and mountains, but all what we can see today are just wooden, metal and concrete remainings... and of course all the changes made on surface.

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During the years of working, the ore has been mined in two different levels, total area of ore fields had approx. 50000 m2. All the empty spaces below the ground has been replenished after work ends. We can stil observe some bigger and smaller holes on the surface here and there...

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How to reach the area? From the main road in Glamos we can follow the signs to Nordguvefeltet. To the mountains is leading private road with metal barrier which are closed in winter time. To access the road we should make a payment - for this year it was 30 norwegian kroner. There is special wooden box with envelopes and forms which we have to fill in and put the money to. Copy of the form we have to keep in the car in visible place in case of control. If I remember good, 500 NOK is a fine for not doing the payment on entrance.

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The road is quite long but straight as hell, it leads us up the mountains to Nordgruvefeltet area, after some km we reach a big car park near the big silos and magazines. From here we can take several different footpath to reach different locations, one of them is Christianus Sextus mine.

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Not a long walk by the road from car park to the mine is leading among nice looking birch forest. On the way we have to cross river Orva flowing from big lake called Orvsjoen using the old wooden bridge.

Here is the picture of the river and the bridge in summer time and the from autumn...

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Another shot showing the way in summer and autumnal look - which is more beautifull? I think I don't have to ask ;).

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The main building of a mine is still standing on the ground - I am not sure what was previously in the building, I found informations about a facility where all the mined stones were washed ad segregate for further transport - it can be true because we can see one part of the tracks going from above, another one probably were going down, so something what was delivered in the upper part of the building, was leaving downstairs after some processing...

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Some big parts of the machinery is still present inside...

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There is a small water container or a pond in close distant from the building so the theory about washing facility is even more real.

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Another great find which confirm the this theory is situated about 200m from the mine - now laying in the grass by the crushed stone material. It looks like the big cylinder which can be used for washing the material - like the one which is used in those machines of Gold Hunters from Discovery series...

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From the place we can explore the surrounding in all ways - above the mine is a hill from which is fine view on the mine, the water and the surrounding - whole Nordgruvefeltet area...

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Going to the left we can explore big remainings of mining activities - the piles of washed rocks and stones, many colorful minerals creates unnatural views..

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Among others we can find remining of a place where the tracks were going underground - now filled up with rocks, no more underground corridors left...

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Also another nice find - original, old, still solid mining wagon.

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The place have big potential of being used even now for different activities. Many artistic performances and concerts had place here. Looking for some addictional information about them, I found some interesting, old archival material made by norwegian television NRK, where Christianus Sextus mine is playing main role. You can watch it here: https://tv.nrk.no/program/fola04002986/christianus-sextus

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Some more shots from the area.

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At the end I would like to invite all to write comments about Your thoughts on such long posts - are they too long or maybe there is too much photos, or too little or too much informations? Please give me support by giving such suggestions which I can use in future to create better and more interesting content!

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Photo: Full moon night after the exploration day was a great reward!

If You are interested in other parts of my photo-guide to Norway series, below I place a shortcut to all published parts. Feel free to visit and join my Diskord channel: https://discord.gg/bAQDCt

Travel Norway #1 – Steinvikholmen and why Vikings didn't build stone castles...
Travel Norway #2 - Storfossen and Metifossen waterfalls
Travel Norway #3 - Magic shore in Muruvik
Travel Norway #4 - Live with big L - Cabin trip to Heia
Travel Norway #5 part 1 - Let's go Undergound! - Gronligrotta Cave
Travel Norway #5 part 2 - Let's go Undergound! - Gronligrotta Cave
Travel Norway #6 - Muskox from Dovre national park
Travel Norway #7 - Dovre mountains - Sunrise by Hjerkinnsdammen.
Travel Norway #8 - First visit in Trollheimen montains - Innerdalen
Travel Norway #9 - Austerdalsisen - first view on Svartisen's glacial landscapes
Travel Norway #10 - Innerdalen -First Summer trip to Trollheimen National Park - Day 1
Travel Norway #11 - Innerdalen - First Summer trip to Trollheimen National Park - Day 2
Travel Norway #12 - Magical place in Lofoten - Eggum

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