Sulitjelma
Encyclopedia
Sulitjelma is a village in Fauske
municipality in Nordland
, Norway
. The village has 481 residents (2007). Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley only 140 meters amsl along the shore of the Langvatnet
lake. There are many old mines in the area. Sultitjelma are virtually sourrounded by mountains and glaciers. Sulitjelma is the southern endpoint - or entrance - for Nordkalottruta
hiking trail. There is road connection to fauske town, which is 44 km to the west. Winters in Sulitjelma have reliable snow
cover and is on average 2°C colder than in Fauske town, while summers are the same.
The village has origins as a Sámi
settlement, with archaeological findings dating more than a thousand years back, with evidence of summer breeding of reindeer at the end of the 16th century. In 1858 copper and sulfur was found in the area, and a limited excavations were performed. In 1887 the Swedish industrialist Nils Persson
bought the rights to the findings, was the mining started. Sulitelma Aktiebolag was founded in 1891, and by the early 20th century it was the largest mining company in the country, and the second largest industrial company. At the peak in 1913 the company had 1,750 employees. In 1983 the mining rights were inherited by the state, who operated the mines until 1991. The construction of the line started in May 1891 when the mining company in Sulitjelma decided to build a railway between Sjønstå and Fossen. The line was the first in Northern Norway.
The expansion into the mountains to the mine at Fagerli began in 1912, and at the same time the gauge was increased from 750 mm to 1067 mm.
The line closed on 22 July 1972 and was rebuilt, as a road, Route 830. This work was completed in 1975
Fauske
is a town and municipality located in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fauske with approximately 6,000 inhabitants....
municipality in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The village has 481 residents (2007). Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley only 140 meters amsl along the shore of the Langvatnet
Langvatnet (Fauske)
Langvatnet is a Norwegian lake that lies in Fauske municipality in Nordland....
lake. There are many old mines in the area. Sultitjelma are virtually sourrounded by mountains and glaciers. Sulitjelma is the southern endpoint - or entrance - for Nordkalottruta
Nordkalottruta
- External links :* *...
hiking trail. There is road connection to fauske town, which is 44 km to the west. Winters in Sulitjelma have reliable snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
cover and is on average 2°C colder than in Fauske town, while summers are the same.
History
The village has origins as a Sámi
SAMI
SAMI is a Microsoft accessibility initiative released in 1998. The structured markup language is designed to simplify creating captions for media playback on a PC, i.e. not for broadcast purposes....
settlement, with archaeological findings dating more than a thousand years back, with evidence of summer breeding of reindeer at the end of the 16th century. In 1858 copper and sulfur was found in the area, and a limited excavations were performed. In 1887 the Swedish industrialist Nils Persson
Nils Persson
Nils Persson was a Swedish sailor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was a crew member of the Swedish boat Erna Signe, which won the silver medal in the 12 metre class.-External links:*...
bought the rights to the findings, was the mining started. Sulitelma Aktiebolag was founded in 1891, and by the early 20th century it was the largest mining company in the country, and the second largest industrial company. At the peak in 1913 the company had 1,750 employees. In 1983 the mining rights were inherited by the state, who operated the mines until 1991. The construction of the line started in May 1891 when the mining company in Sulitjelma decided to build a railway between Sjønstå and Fossen. The line was the first in Northern Norway.
The expansion into the mountains to the mine at Fagerli began in 1912, and at the same time the gauge was increased from 750 mm to 1067 mm.
The line closed on 22 July 1972 and was rebuilt, as a road, Route 830. This work was completed in 1975
External links
- University of Tromsø: Architecture in Sulitjelma In English, with pictures