Ny Engelsk Paste-up Røros 20-12-10 23:12 Side 1 NORWEGIAN WORLD HERITAGE SITES Røros Mining Town 1 Bryggen in Bergen (1979) RØROS 2 Urnes stave church (1979) and the Circumference 3 Røros Mining Town (1980) and Circumference 2010 Mining Town 4 The Rock Art at Alta (1985) 5 The Vega Archipelago (2004) 6 The Struve Geodetic Arc (2005) and the 7 The West Norwegian 4 Fjords (2005) 6 Kjerkgata. © Trond Taugbøl Kjerkgata. © Trond Gruvene. © Riksantikvaren Circumference After 30 years on the World Heritage List, the Committee approved in 2010 an extension of the area with a buffer zone and changed its name to Røros Mining Town and the Circumference. The property compromises three areas, The town and Cultural Landscapes, The Femundshytta smelter and the 5 Winter Transport Route. We can not fully understand how the mining town functioned without considering the area of privileges, the Circumference. The buffer zone thereby has a value in addition to protecting the Property visually. It is a key instrument for understanding the Property, and places 3 in a wider historical and functional context. 7 Sleggveien. Lisen Roll © Riksantikvaren The monuments within this area include traces of 2 sites but also the surrounding landscape in order to place prospecting, mining operations and smelters, charcoal pits, 7 cultural heritage in a broader functional, historic and power stations, cableways and floatway structures. Other 1 environmental context. The purpose of the extension is to traces include old roads, transport routes, farms providing include cultural landscapes showing why the town was stables and accommodation for travellers, urban agri- 0 0 6 T E K k R a s E k M k established and how it functioned under the particular culture with summer gazing farms and summer residences y Ø r J L T I M 1 24 geographic and climatic conditions prevailing in the region. for the town citizens. Asgeir Spange Brekke © Riksantikvaren Asgeir Spange Brekke Directorate for Cultural Heritage Dronningensg. 13 Røros Mining Town was inscribed on the World Heritage Postbox 8196 Dep. 0034 Oslo List in 1980. An extension of the world heritage area, the Tel: 22 94 04 00 - Fax: 22 94 04 04 Småsetran. Lisen Roll © Riksantikvaren Circumference was added to the list in August 2010 http://www.ra.no • Printet in: HBO As 12/10 Design: Grimshei Grafiske, Lørenskog Ny Engelsk Paste-up Røros 20-12-10 23:12 Side 2 Unesco UNESCO is the abbreviation for the ”United Nations Educatio- Røros Mining Town and the Circumference In 1644 copper ore was found in the Røros mountains. Less nal, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. UNESCO’s goal is to than two years later, Røros Copper Works was established contribute to peace and safety through international cooperation and the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV gave privilegies within these areas. The organization was established in 1945, to the Røros Copper Works to utilize all natural resources and Norway became a member in 1946. within a Circumference (radius) of four old Norwegian miles, ❖ today estimated to 45,2 kilometres centered form the first The UNESCO convention for the protection of museum © Røros Taubane. the world’s cultural and natural heritage workable mine, “Old Storwartz”. The furnace building was The convention for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural built by a waterfall of the river Hitterelva, where the Røros heritage was approved in 1972, after cultural heritage Mining Town was established. © Arne Aasheim and natural areas were increasingly exposed to threats from war, The Struve Geodetic Arc The West Norwegian Fjords Workers poured into Røros from near and far to work in natural disasters, pollution, tourism or, more simply, neglect. the copper foundry. The surrounding district was not able The convention encourages all countries to promote the to provide the agricultural products the new community protection of cultural and natural heritage of both local and natio- needed, so farming became a secondary occupation for all nal significance. The most important goal of the convention is to levels of workers. Compact farms with people and live stock identify cultural and natural heritage of universal value. The need for a coordinated effort, both human and economic, was demon- surrounding a court yard, are aspects of the town plan well strated by the international rescue of cultural heritage monu- adopted to the harsh mountain terrain and the extreme ments in Egypt and Nubia, when the Aswan dam was built in the climatic conditions. 1960’s. Sixty countries, including Norway, participated. The mining and the farming town in the high mountains Cultural and natural heritage can include monuments, single has retained much of its original character, with houses and buildings or groups of buildings, cultural landscapes or natural farms from the 18th and the 19th centuries. The street pattern areas. These can be created by nature, or by people in coopera- Arve Kjersheim © Riksantikvaren and farming properties in the centre of the town are the same tion with nature. They can be buildings representing important Taugbøl© Trond © Statens kartverk/Bjørn Geirr Harsson The Vega Archipelago The Rock Art at Alta as were constructed in the 1600’s. In the street pattern and historic developments, or natural phenomena of exceptional esthetic or scientific value. the arrangement of the buildings much of the development of Norway ratified the convention on May 12.1977. The World Røros can still be observed, one of the unique aspects of Heritage Committee has so far approved seven Norwegian Røros as a cultural heritage site. Røros has not burnt since the nominations to the World Heritage List, – Bryggen in Bergen and Swedes set it on fire in 1678 and 1679. Both the community Urnes stave church were inscribed as early as in 1979. as a whole as well as the details, build upon a blend of conti- nental ideas and Norwegian building traditions. Norway in the World Heritage Committee For more than 250 years Røros Copper Works was among In 2003 Norway was elected a member of the World Heritage Norway’s most important mines. Between 1644 and 1977 over Kjellmark © Ole Jørgen Storwartz gruver. Committee, the main task of which is to consider nominations of 100.000 tons of copper and 525.000 tons of sulphur pyrite sites and objects to the World Heritage List. A major challenge is to work for a more balanced list, both in geographic and thematic were produced here. The landscape surrounding Røros was terms. After more than 50 years, the List still contains far too few © Riksantikvaren Asgeir Spange Brekke completely changed by the mining activities. Not only do the Røros Mining Town World Heritage sites from the developing countries. This is why it Arve Kjersheim © Riksantikvaren enormous waste heaps provide evidence of the extensive acti- and the Circumference Urnes Stave Church is important to work for more nominations from developing coun- vities under the surface, but also the entire forest over a large tries or countries with little or no representation on the World area around the town was removed over a period of 25 years Heritage List. to produce fuel for the ovens. In addition, Røros is one of the Norway will also give priority to work for more nominations of world’s coldest towns, with a temperature record of -50,4 de- nature protected areas to increase their representation on the List. grees Celsius. Heating in the houses also taxed the local tim- Beeing nominated as a World Heritage Site does not include any ber resources. In addition to the removal of the forest, nume- new form of legal protection; rather it offers additional recognition rous dams, timber canals and roads were built near the town. and status. There was also pasturing near the town for fodder for the live More information on the World Heritage at UNESCOs website: stock, which spent the winter in the centre of the town. www.unesco.org Røros Mining Town was inscribed on the World Heritage More information on The Norwegian World Heritage Sites: © Riksantikvaren Dreyer Andreas List in 1980. Since then conservation ideology has changed. Bryggen in Bergen www.riksantikvaren.no Arve Kjersheim © Riksantikvaren Today we want to protect not only monuments and historic.