Kongsberg trivia

[butlersrangers]

While 'researching' Mining in German Saxony, I ran across references to Kongsberg, Norway, circa 1624.

As Krag Students, we know that Kongsberg was the site of the Norwegian Government Factory, where Johannes Ole Krag and Erik Jorgensen developed and perfected their 1/2 capsule magazine rifle design. The Kongsberg Arms Factory produced most of the venerable Norwegian Krag rifles. It continues as a modern military weapons developer & manufactory.

What I didn't know, was that Kongsberg was a 'Silver Mining Town'; for 335 years, 1623 to 1958, Silver was mined there.

In 1624, the Danish-Norwegian King, Christian IV, hired German engineers and Miners from the Harz Mountains in Saxony to come to Sandsvaer (renamed Kongsberg) to establish a mining operation.
The Saxon Miners and their families were to make up a large minority in the Kongsberg population, for generations.
The terminology, structures, and advanced technology for 'hard rock' mining, in the 17th Century, was a Saxon-German specialty.

German mining terms and culture, including the Miner's Guild system, with mutual cooperation and support, survived in Norwegian Mining.
These influences may have had some impact on other Norwegian industries.

The Mining ceased in 1958, but Kongsberg is the current site of the Norwegian Mining Museum.

Kongsberg also is the site of a Norwegian Mint, that still produces some commemorative coinage.