Blaafarvevaerket

The Blue Colour Works was founded in 1776 to process cobalt ore from the mines at Modum into smalt, the deep blue pigment used in glass, porcelain and paint, and in the early nineteenth century it was the largest producer in the world and the biggest industrial employer in Norway. Pigment production ended in 1857 and mining in 1898. The site was restored from the 1970s and now operates as a museum in two parts: the works buildings in the valley, holding a large art collection with an annual summer exhibition that draws hundreds of thousands, and the Cobalt Mines several kilometres up the hill, where visitors can go underground on guided tours. The complex also runs historic gardens, a bakery and a restaurant.

History

King Christian VII founded the Royal Blue Colour Works in 1776 to mine cobalt, closely tied to the Royal Porcelain Factory in Copenhagen, which needed cobalt to decorate porcelain. In 1822 it was sold to the Berlin banker Wilhelm Christian Benecke and Benjamin Wegner; pigment production stopped in 1857 and mining in 1898, and in 1968 Kjell Rasmus Steinsvik and Tone Sinding Steinsvik began turning it into a museum (Wikipedia, Blaafarveværket).

Highlights

• The pigment works - restored buildings from the smalt production era.
• The cobalt mines - underground tours in the hillside workings.
• The summer exhibition - a large annual art show in the works buildings.
• The historic gardens - restored planting and a bakery on the site.

When to go

May to September, the operating season for both the works and the mines; the annual exhibition runs from late May to late September and is the main draw. The site closes entirely in winter apart from a Christmas period.

What to expect

Everything is seasonal and the site shuts for much of the year. The mines and the works are several kilometres apart, requiring a drive between them. The summer exhibition is popular enough that weekends are crowded.

Nearby

Kistefos and Hadeland Glassverk lie north; Drammen and Oslo are east.

Key facts