Sulitjelma

Sulitjelma ( _se. Sulis, _sv. Sulitelma) is a village in Fauske municipality in Nordland, Norway. The village has 481 residents (2007). [cite paper | author=Statistics Norway | title=Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality. 1 January 2007 | date=2007 | url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/tab-2007-06-07-01-en.html] Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley only 140 meters amsl along the shore of the Langvatnet lake. There are many old mines in the area. Sultitjelma are virtually sourrounded by mountains and glaciers. Sulitjelma is the southern endpoint - or entrance - for Nordkalottruta hiking trail. There is road connection to fauske town, which is 44 km to the west.

History

The village has origins as a Sámi settlement, with archaeological findings dating more than a thousand years back, with evidence of summer breeding of reindeer at the end of the 1500s. In 1858 copper and sulfur was found in the area, and a limited excavations were performed. In 1887 the Swedish industrialist Nils Persson bought the rights to the findings, was the mining started. Sulitelma Aktiebolag was founded in 1891, and by the early 1900s it was the largest mining company in the country, and the second largest industrial company. At the peak in 1913 the company had 1,750 employees. In 1983 the mining rights were inherited by the state, who operated the mines until 1991. The mining company operated a railway, Sulitjelmabanen, from Fauske to Sulitjelma, from 1892 to 1972.

External links

* [http://www.ub.uit.no/baser/arkinord/categories.php?cat_id=357&sessionid=c772033518d12b8ba90592123da01247 University of Tromsø: Architecture in Sulitjelma] In English, with pictures

References