The King and the Church

A World Heritage site like Røros is created by intensive labour, capital investment and strict administration. The State, or, in other words, the autocratic King had to make the necessary arrangements and exercise his power in order to promote development.

The task of the church in Røros, as elsewhere, was to fulfil the spiritual needs of the population and provide them with consolation and comfort in very hard times. Simultaneously, we can see that in Røros the church played an important part in emphasising differences in social levels as well as helping to create respect for authority.

The mining town was the centre of Røros, but even so completely on the very edge of the European market place. The basis for mining activity was that modern Europe was growing fast, and there was an ever-increasing demand for copper.