Røros

Røros is a unique little urban community, popularly called bergstaden, literally meaning «the Mountain Town».

It has an extraordinary history and a spectacular location on the roof of Scandinavia. The Røros Copper Works was in operation here for 333 years. For centuries, acrid yellow sulfur smoke billowed from the chimney of the smelter as the Works consumed all the forests and vegetation in a radius of tens of kilometers. Trees and shrubs have now made a comeback on the mountain plateau and there are ample reasons for Røros to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Røros Mining Town.

Norwegian gnomes - nisser - abound in Røros. They reflect the activities of the human inhabitants in their attention to any number of tasks in agriculture, handicrafts and mining. So, it is not unusual to spot small tracks in the snow from the rear courtyard gates leading to the streets.

In this book about Røros, Kjell E. Midthun's nisser turn up among the old log buildings and streets. Close to a hundred illustrations depict motifs from the old mountain town. Bjørn Brænd wrote the text.