Why You Should Visit Kongsberg At Least Once

Just one hour and 15 minutes by train from Oslo, to the west of Norway, lies the city of Kongsberg. Its name means “the mountain of the King” and if you’re starting to feel like this is the beginning of a Tolkien novel, you’re not entirely wrong. Kongsberg is home to the Silver Mines, where all the silver was mined to produce coins for the whole country — and the whole city has an eery energy that brings Middle Earth to mind. If you want to explore a destination that combines raw nature with rich history and quirky places to hang out, then hop on the first L12 train because you’ll want to be seeing and doing the below things.

If the weather is nice, you can bring your swimsuit with you

Kongsberg has many “badeplasser” (“bathing places”), mostly lakes, and they’re very happy about the community using them. Every spring, there’s even a ceremony that involves ribbon-cutting and, sometimes, the Mayor of Kongsberg being thrown in the waters as a friendly prank. You can find more information about badeplasser here.

…And if the weather isn’t nice, you can still bring your skis

Kongsberg loves skiing — they’ve even created a museum about it (see the paragraph about the Silver Mines). The Kongsberg Skisenter is quite impressive: it has a brand new snowcross area which includes a halfpipe, funboxes, quarterpipes and big jumps. The lifts will take you 1,600 meters up into the mountains where there’s also a café-restaurant, a well-stocked equipment rental centre and, of course, breathtaking views.

The river here is so important, it has its own museum

Kongsberg is basically cut in half by the river Lågen. The river has had numerous important roles to play throughout the town’s history, from timber production to being utilised for electricity later on. In the Labro museum, you’ll find a well-documented account of all this, as well as other interesting displays. Just don’t tell the river they made a whole museum for it. It’s bursting enough as it is.