Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [208]
Information
The tourist office (830 50; www.visitfalun.se; Trotzgatan 10-12; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, 11am-4pm Sun mid-Jun–mid-Aug; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat mid-Aug–mid-Jun) can help with visitor information.
Most services (banks, supermarkets etc) are on or just off Stora Torget. There’s free internet access at the public library (833 35; Kristinegatan 15; 10am-7pm Mon-Thu, 10am-6pm Fri, 11am-3pm Sat).
Sights & Activities
FALU KOPPARBERGSGRUVA
Falun’s copper mine was the world’s most important by the 17th century and drove many of Sweden’s international aspirations during that period. Today it’s on Unesco’s World Heritage List and makes for a fascinating day out.
Tradition says a goat called Kåre first drew attention to the copper reserves, when he rolled in the earth and pranced back to the village with red horns. The first historical mention is in a document from 1288, when the Bishop of Västerås bought shares in the company. As a by-product, the mine produced the red paint that became a characteristic of Swedish houses – Falu Red is still used today. The mine finally closed in 1992.
The mining complex (78 20 30; www.kopparberget.com; daily), to the west of town at the top end of Gruvgatan, contains various sights. Most dramatic is the Stora Stöten (Great Pit), a vast hole caused by a major mine collapse in the 17th century. By a miracle, the miners were on holiday that day and no one was harmed. There are lookouts around the crater edge, and numerous mine buildings including a 15m waterwheel and shaft-head machinery. Opening hours are complicated – check the website for details. Take bus 709.
The mine museum (adult/under 15yr Skr50/free; 10am-6pm) contains everything you could possibly want to know about the history, administration, engineering, geology and copper production of the mine, as well as the sad story of Fat Mats the miner (see boxed text, opposite).
You can go on a one-hour tour of the disused mine (adult/child Skr150/50) – bring warm clothing. Prices include museum entry and in high season you shouldn’t have to wait more than an hour for an English tour. Between October and April, tours must be booked in advance.
If you’re getting peckish, the pretty cafe Gjuthuset (132 12), serving coffee, sandwiches and cake, teeters on the edge of the Great Pit. Opposite the main reception is Geschwornergården Värdshus (78 26 16; lunch Skr75), which is a more stately affair and does excellent hot lunch specials.
CARL LARSSON-GÅRDEN
Whatever you do, don’t miss Carl Larsson-gården (600 53; www.carllarsson.se; Sundborn; admission by guided tour only, adult/child Skr100/50; 10am-5pm May-Sep, 11am Mon-Fri Oct-Apr), home of artist Carl Larsson and his wife, Karin, in the picturesque village of Sundborn. After the couple’s deaths, their early-20th-century home was preserved in its entirety by their children, but it’s no gloomy memorial. Lilla Hyttnäs is a work of art, full of brightness, humour and love.
Superb colour schemes and furniture fill the house: Carl’s portraits of his wife and children are everywhere, and Karin’s tapestries and embroidery reveal she was as skilled an artist as her husband. Even today, the modern styles throughout the house (especially the dining room) will inspire interior decorators, and the way the family lived, suffused in art and learning, will inspire practically everyone.
Tours (45 minutes) run hourly; call in advance for times of English tours (alternatively, follow a Swedish tour with an English handbook, Skr20).
If you like Larsson’s work, you can see more at the Carl Larssons Porträttsamling (600 53; Kyrkvägen 18, Sundborn; adult/under 12yr Skr25/free, free with ticket stub from Carl Larsson-gården; 11am-5pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug), where there are 12 portraits of local worthies.
Bus 64 (Skr34) runs from Falun to Sund-born village (13km).
OTHER SIGHTS
The Unesco World Heritage listing actually encompasses a much larger area than just the Kopparbergsgruva. The free brochure Discover the Falun World Heritage