Løkken Verk: Mining History and Museum Railway

Løkken Verk tells its story in several ways: at the Orkla Industrial Museum, on guided tours of the Gammelgruva mine, and through monuments commemorating mining and the lives of workers. The historic Thamshavnbanen museum railway and trails near Gråhåmmårn and Bjørnli add the themes of transport history and outdoor activity. You can shape your stay around culture, the history of technology or outdoor activities.

Mining History at the Museum and in the Mine

The Orkla Industrial Museum is located in the centre of Løkken Verk. It presents the industrial history of Orkland, Norway, from the 17th century to the present day, with a particular focus on the town’s 333-year mining history. New exhibitions and an extensive museum shop add to what’s on offer. If you’d first like an overview of the region’s industrial history, this provides a thematic framework for further discoveries.

On guided tours of the Gammelgruva mine, guides explain mining techniques from four centuries and the equipment used. The visit offers a different perspective from the exhibitions, focusing on mining methods and tools. The Fagerlisalen is also located in the Gammelgruva. It can be used for dinners and as a cultural venue for up to 300 guests.

Museum Railway and Trails

The Thamshavnbanen is a museum railway between Løkken Verk and Bårdshaug near Orkanger. A historic journey through the valley is offered in the summer season. The railway was Norway’s first electrically operated railway and also the world’s first successful AC railway. If you’re interested in transport history, you’ll encounter a distinct chapter of the region’s industrial history here, separate from a visit to the museum and mine.

For an outdoor excursion, a marked trail leads up Gråhåmmårn, a small mountain just south of the centre. From the summit, you can look out over the centre and the mining facilities of Løkken Verk. In Bjørnli, the never-built tramway route also continues as a hiking trail. These trails offer different perspectives: Gråhåmmårn provides views of the town and its mining facilities, while the route recalls a transport project that was never realised. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus more on cultural history or a trail outdoors.

Local History in Houses and Monuments

Most of the houses in Bjørnli Haveby were built between 1915 and 1921. Bjørnli Haveby and its associated buildings are considered worthy of preservation and have been designated a priority cultural environment in the regional cultural heritage plan for Sør-Trøndelag.

Several monuments draw attention to people and their work. Skeidersken commemorates women workers, often miners’ widows, who sorted ore from waste rock at a conveyor belt. Tillitsmannen honours trade union members who have fought for workers’ interests since 1907, the year the Løkken Grubearbeiderforening was founded. Bergmannen, a statue by Per Palle Storm, was unveiled in 1955. OL-mesteren depicts Jan Egil Storholt, a worker’s son from Bjørnli who won the Olympic 1,500-metre speed skating title at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

Torfinn-Bjørnaas Square in the centre also bears a historical reference in its name: it is named after Torfinn Bjørnaas (1914–2009), who took part in sabotage operations by the Linge Company during the Second World War. In Løkken Church, the bowl of the baptismal font points to the chapel of Grutsæter (1699–1806), where miners’ children were baptised for more than 300 years. Details like these add personal and community perspectives to the industrial history.

Other places in this area: Storås, Meldal, Drogsetmoen.

Go to the main travel overview: Meldal.