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Kobberverket i Kåfjord
Enjoy a stroll through a region steeped in the history of a town that disappeared- along with its copper resources.
Kåfjord, the Altafjord's furthest offshoot, is 10 kilometres south-west of Alta Museum and Hjemmeluft. It has witnessed numerous significant events throughout history, including the creation of copper industry in 1826. The mine has close power sources for the manufacturing operations, as well as an ice-free harbour to convey the goods to market. The mines were abandoned for eighteen years after the initial phase with English owners lasted 52 years. The Kåfjord mines laid the groundwork for new vocations and lifestyles, as well as the necessary elements for a modern town. It was the biggest town in Finnmark in 1840. After a series of unfortunate events, the once strong town of Kåfjord, began to watch its inhabitants leave in search of a better life, and soon became a skeleton of the land it once way. Finnmark's scorched-earth tactic destroyed most of the structures in the fall of 1944.