Kistefos Træsliberi

Kistefos Træsliberi founded at Kistefoss at the river Randselva in 1889 is a former pulp mill and hydroelectric power plant in Jevnaker, Norway.

History

The mill was founded on June 27, 1889 by councilor Anders Sveaas and was in operation from the following year until 1955 when an agreement was made with Follum Fabrikker (now Norske Skog Follum) who took over the operation. Kistefos agreed to deliver power and lumber to the plant at Follum, being paid market price and a premium for the processing. After internal disagreement in the family the company was sold to the neighbor company Viul Tresliperi in 1983, but bought back by Christen Sveaas in 1993 and transformed to the holding company Kistefos.

Operation

At the plant pulp was created by hydraulic pressure transferred from turbines. Kistefos was early with electricity, and both the factory and the housing was supplied with it. The power came directly from the water fall and was transformed mechanically. After the closing of the factory the fall was converted to a hydroelectric power plant. The lumber came mill owned forests in Land, pulled across Randsfjorden and floated down Randselva to Kistefoss.

Museum

In 1991 the power plant was sold to the municipal power company Viul Kraft. In 1995 85% of the company was sold to Christen Sveaas, the grandson of Anders Sveaas. The company remains owner of large amounts of forest and the estate of the mill. The company is responsible for all renovation of the buildings to create it into a museum. Since 1996 the foundation Stiftelsen Kistefos-Museet has been responsible for the old factory and retaining an operational museum, and was created after donations from Jevnaker municipality and Sveaas.

External links

* [http://www.kistefos.museum.no/maindesign.asp?aid=143&gid=124 History of Kistefos] no icon
* [http://www.kistefos-tre.no/english.htm Company website]