Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun

A gaping man-made chasm known as the Great Pit anchors Falun's mining landscape, where copper was worked from at least the 13th century. The mine underpinned centuries of Swedish power and even gave the country its iconic red house paint, made from mine by-products. Around the pit lie the planned 17th-century town and industrial remains scattered across Dalarna, traces of a district that long ranked among the world's foremost sources of copper. UNESCO granted the area World Heritage status in 2001.