Welcome to the Norwegian Mining Museum and the Silver Mines!
The Norwegian Mining museum
Kongsberg Silver Works' old smelting hut houses the The Norwegian Mining museum's exhibitions. This historical building is located next to the river Numedalslågen in Kongsberg city center.
Our exhibitions include Norwegian mining history, the history of Kongsberg Silver works, the coin and mint history, in addition to the ski and industrial history of the city. Here you can also visit our exciting new Geolab, which offers interactive learning experiences for children.
Where to find us: Hyttegata 3, 3616 Kongsberg
To book tours of the museum contact us at: post@bvm.no or +47 919 13 200.
Opening hours & prices
Winter season:
Tuesday-Sunday 12-16
Summer season, 18. May - 21. August:
Every day 11-17
Prices 2024:
Adults: 150,- / Children: 100,- / Seniors: 120,- / Students: 120,-
Free entrance to the museum on Tuesdays during the winter season.
The Mining Exhibition
This exhibition houses items from the 335 year long history of Kongsberg Silver Works. Here you can find the social history presented through objects such as medical instruments, the technological developments of mining and processing silver ore.
You get a glimpse of what the life of a miner was like and an impression of how they mined through 335 years. The items and stories in the exhibition take you back to a time when Christian 4. ruled Denmark-Norway, and Kongsberg was Norway's second largest city.
An exhibition of drill bits, hammers, wood, drilling machines and a collection of models show how the ore was sorted and crushed, the silver was extracted and eventually melted. In the Silver Works' silver and mineral collection you can find lumps of massive silver weighing up to 50 kg and also other minerals found in the mines. There is also a miniature mine where children can play and explore.
The Native Silver and Mineral Collection
The exhibition of Kongsberg minerals contains 330 pieces of spectacular native silver and other minerals from the mines. Native silver has been found in mines all over the world, but experts single out the native silver found in the mines in Kongsberg as the most exquisite.
In the exhibition you can see many different shapes of native silver as well as plate silver, massive silver and crystalline silver. They all retain their natural form - no silversmith has worked any of it. And with use of imagination you can see birds, animals and a vast array of other shapes. Silver was not the only mineral found in the mines, the exhibition showcases these other minerals in addition to the silver. One curiosity you should note is the mineral armenite, which was first found in Armen mine close to the King's mine.
The Industrial History Exhibition
Kongsberg Arms factory is famous for having developed and produced the Kongsberg colt and the Krag-Jørgensen rifle, but the factory also produced other products such as wrenches and bicycles. The production was extremely varied and the exhibition about Kongsberg Arms factory shows the city's industrial history from the founding of the factory in 1814 up until to the high-tech companies found in the city today.
Kongsberg skimuseum
Did you know that skiers from Kongsberg won most of the Norwegian and international medals for ski jumping in the 1930's and that the first international downhill competition in Norway was held at Kongsberg? The "Kongsberg period" in Norwegian and international ski sports stretches from around 1925 to 1950, and the museum shows the extensive trophy collection of the Kongsberg skiers. They won around 5000 prizes, including 6 olympic medals and 16 world championship medals. The story of "The Kongsberg period" and its athletes are told through the exhibition.
The Mint Exhibition
The exhibition of coins and medals provides an insight into the coin production of earlier times, and includes most coins from Christian IV's silver dollars (Rigsdaler) to today's nickel coins. Have you ever seen the medal awarded to the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize? You can see that medal, along with much more in the exhibition!
Geolab
The Geolab is a room for activities and learning, and to make children and young people excited about and interested in science and technology. Every weekend we have fun and educational activities for families, with makerspace and lab activities.
Experience our amazing periodic table with 118 different minerals, metals and figures! Try the bouldering wall with different routes and grips made from Norwegian rocks. Discover the link between geology and technology with our interactive stations and metal game.
The Geolab is also used to teach natural and cultural history to 3000 school students every year. We aim to get the children interested in the history of Kongsberg, focusing on the Silver mines, the industrial, social and cultural history as well as geology and science. We also want to give the students a better understanding of why we depend on mining for the prodution and development of technology, and the importance of mining for the Green Shift in our society.
*The Geolab follows the museum's opening hours*