Stora Museum

Stora Museum Review

The town of Falun, 230 km (143 mi) northwest of Stockholm via E18 and Route 70, is famous for its copper mine. It began nearly 800 years ago in 1230, fueled Sweden's "Age of Greatness" in the 17th century, and generally held its own until a collapse in 1687; it eventually closed in 1992. Today the major part of the mine is an enormous hole in the ground that, in combination with the adjoining Stora Museum, has become Falun's principal tourist attraction. The one-hour tour through a network of old shafts and tunnels begins with a hair-raising 150-foot descent in an old elevator. Wear old shoes and warm clothing, since the copper-tinged mud can stain footwear and it's cold down there.