The mining town of Røros (the administrative centre of the municipality) is sometimes called Bergstaden which means "mountain town" due to its historical renown for copper mining. It is one of two towns in Norway that were historically designated "mining towns", along with the "silver-town" of Kongsberg. The modern-day inhabitants of Røros still work and live in the characteristic 17th and 18th century buildings which led to its designation as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1980. Røros has about 80 wooden houses, most of them standing around courtyards. Many retain their dark pitch-log facades, giving the town a medieval appearance.[5]
The 1,957-square-kilometre (756 sq mi) municipality is the 39th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Røros is the 167th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,598. The municipality's population density is 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.3/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.2% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
General information
The parish of Røros was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1875, an unpopulated area of the neighbouring municipality of Ålen was transferred to Røros. On 1 January 1926, Røros was split into four municipalities: Røros landsogn (population: 701), Brekken (population: 1,098), Glåmos (population: 983), and the town of Røros (population: 2,284). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the four municipalities of Glåmos (population: 700), Brekken (population: 964), Røros landsogn (population: 482), and the town of Røros (population: 3,063) were all reunited under the name Røros. On 21 April 1989, an unpopulated part of Røros was transferred to the neighbouring Holtålen municipality.[8] On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish and town) is named after the old Røros farm (Old Norse: Røyðaróss) since this was the site of the mining town of Røros. The first element comes from the local river name Røa (Røyðr) which has an unknown meaning. The last element comes from óss which means "mouth of a river" (the small river Røa runs into the great river Glåma here).[9]
On 9 September 2022, the national government approved a resolution to add a co-equal, official Sami language name for the municipality: Rosse.[10] The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Rosse when it is spelled alone, but it is Rossen tjïelte when using the Sami language equivalent to "Røros municipality".[4]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 29 October 1992. The blazon is "Gules, a venus symbol over a crossed hammer and chisel Or" (Norwegian: I rødt, en gull kobber (venus-symbol) over korslagt bergjarn og feisel). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a venus symbol over a crossed hammer and chisel. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design symbolizes the copper mining industry in Røros. The venus symbol is the old symbol for copper, which was heavily mined in Røros for centuries. The arms were designed by Sverre Ødegaard. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[11][12][13]
Røros was burned to the ground in 1678 and 1679 by the Swedish Army during the Scanian War. In 1718, during the Great Northern War, the town was once again taken by the Swedish Army, led by General De la Barre, who made up the southern arm of the main Swedish Army under Carl Gustaf Armfeldt. De la Barre took the city and all their mined copper at gunpoint.
When King Carl XII was killed near Fredriksten on 30 November 1718, De la Barre retreated north to join the bulk of the army. However, this ended in tragedy, when over 3,000 rather unprepared soldiers perished in the harsh weather conditions in the mountains northwest of Røros.
Røros and its people were made famous to Norwegians at the turn of the 20th century by semi-fictional authorJohan Falkberget, who told the story of the mining community from the perspective of the hard-tested miners at the bottom of the social ladder.
In 1644, the general manager of the mine at Kongsberg gave permission to exploit one lode of copper in the mountains near Rauhaammaaren. Storvola and Gamle Storwartz became some of the company's most important mines. Nordgruve, another important mining area, was situated to the north east of Røros.
In 1685, Røros discovered a considerable amount of associated silver mines. The mining activity lasted for about 40 years, and a total of 1,350 tons of sterling silver was mined. This provided considerable revenue for the Danish-Norwegian treasury to support Frederick IV in building the palace of Solbjerg.
1740 onwards saw a period of greatness for the Røros Copper Works with several mines yielding well. Due to the funding of the Oldenburg royal family, the scale of the Leros silver mine and copper mine expanded. As the mine is close to Trondheim and at a lower latitude, the ore output is much higher than Scandinavia Falun. The rich income of the mining area also prompted the royal family to repeatedly ask for an expansion of the mining. Dynamite was utilised from 1870 and later drilling machines. The electrical generating station built high-tension power lines to supply the mines, starting in 1897. The Bessemer process was introduced at the end of the 1800s. The Rørosbanen railway line was completed in 1877. High prices for both copper and zinc gave good results, but then the prices dropped and there were several years with large losses. After 333 years, mining activity in Røros ceased in 1977.[15]
Culture
Rørosmartnan is an annual market and cultural event in Røros that takes place from the next to last Tuesday in February and lasts until the following Saturday.
Rørosmartnan, a unique annual market and cultural event in Røros, is a must-visit for history and culture enthusiasts. With a typical attendance of 70,000 to 80,000 visitors, the market is a significant event for Røros and the surrounding area. The opening day is a spectacle, as around 80 horse-drawn sleds arrive with visitors from Sweden and the surrounding mountain villages, adding a touch of tradition and charm to the event.[16]
History
Røros Copper Works originally monopolized all trade in the mining town.[17] In the 1700s, they stopped enforcing this monopoly as it was impossible to prevent the free exchange of goods. In 1801, a few merchants in Røros were granted permission to engage in trade for a fee. However, illegal trade in Røros only increased. In 1842, the merchants' trading privileges ended, which was largely meaningless when even the factory owners traded independently. After many years of pressure from Røros municipality to the Ministry of the Interior, the first Rørosmartnan was held in 1854.
The market has a historical basis from a royal resolution from 1853:
"From 1854 onwards, a market shall be held in Røros, starting on the next-to-last Tuesday in February and lasting until the following Friday."[18]
In 1855, the market was visited by a couple of thousand people, mainly from the nearby districts, in addition to Gudbrandsdalen, Hedmark, and Sweden. Examples of goods traded included skins, grain and flour, fish, linen, and horses. Because so many people attended, the authorities needed the military to be present as security.
Development
There existed a natural basis for the Rørosmartnan in the region, as people came to buy and sell their products, which contributed significantly to the economy. For this reason, Rørosmartnan developed independently during the initial years without planning or regulations. From the outset, there was a market fee that the vendors had to pay. It was the police's task to collect the fee, which can be described as an organizing function. Additional security was necessary to maintain peace and order during the market, and the guards were financed through the fees.
However, trade at Rørosmartnan declined around 1874, and after an application, a royal resolution was issued on February 29, 1877, stating that the market would be discontinued from 1878.[19] Many also believed that the opening of the Røros Railway would make the Rørosmartnan unnecessary, but the railroad instead sparked a revival for the market by bringing in more people and goods from new areas, and a new resolution was passed stating that the previous resolution for closure would not take effect. Eventually, it was seen that the organizing conditions changed as the local business community became more interested in Rørosmartnan. Not until after World War II did a form of market committee emerge to plan the event. This included some members of the Røros Merchants' Association who cooperated.
Interest in Rørosmartnan again declined throughout the 1960s, after which the Røros Tourist and Travel Association (now Opplev Røros AS) took over the entire event with several representatives from the business community and the municipality, gradually rekindling interest in the event.
Development into the 21st Century.
Since the royal resolution, Rørosmartnan has continued to grow. Saturday has also become market day, and the variety of goods traded has expanded. Each year, more sales booths are set up, and the event is filled with the hustle and bustle of trade. In cafes and venues, old dance music sets the mood from early in the day until late at night, adding to the festive atmosphere of the market.
In 2015, an unofficial estimate of the number of visitors was made, and the organizers assumed that as many as 80,000 people had visited Rørosmartnan from February 17 to 21 that year.[20]
Opening Ceremony.
Rørosmartnan often has prominent guests to deliver the opening speech.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Røros is made up of 27 representatives who are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Røros has a subarctic climate. Mostly sheltered from oceanic influences, and located at ca 650 m amsl, Røros has recorded the coldest temperatures in the southern half of Norway with −50.3 °C (−58.5 °F) in early January 1914. In the European cold snap of January 2010 Røros recorded low of −42 °C (−44 °F). The coldest months recorded are January 1941 and January 1942, both with mean −20.6 °C (−5.1 °F), and average daily low −26.9 °C (−16.4 °F) in January 1941. Winters at Røros are reliably cold. The warmest January (1973) had mean −2.8 °C (27.0 °F), the warmest winter month on record was December 2006 with mean −0.5 °C (31.1 °F), and the warmest March (2012) had mean −0.3 °C (31.5 °F). The heat record 30.7 °C (87.3 °F) was recorded in July 2008. The warmest month on record is July 2014 with mean 16 °C (61 °F), while July 2018 had the warmest average daily high with 23.3 °C (73.9 °F).
Skiing conditions in winter are usually excellent, with the period from February to April being the optimum, as the sun is higher and the days longer than earlier in winter. The deepest snow depth recorded in Røros is 200 centimetres (79 in) in March 1956. In more recent years, 87 centimetres (34 in) snow on the ground was recorded in March 2009. Snow on the ground is virtually guaranteed in Røros from December to early April. Early May 1997 saw 76 cm snow on the ground (source: eklima/met.no).
Haugan, an unincorporated settlement situated 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Røros Airport, is the location of a weather station operated by the Norwegian Meteorologist institute. (Norwegian: Meteorologisk institutt).[36]
All the record lows are old, the most recent (December) from 1978, while more than half of the monthly record highs are from year 2000 or later.
Climate data for Røros (625 m; 1981 - 2010; precipitation days 1961-90, extremes 1900 - 2018)
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