The Frozen Red Gold: Falu Mine, Sweden's Rusty Copper Treasure

Few hours north of Stockholm, Sweden, you'll stumble upon the Falun Mine – a massive crater that has been operating for nearly a millennium. This mine resolved Europe's copper crisis, but with a catch: it killed off the surrounding foliage for miles around. The cause? An ancient explosion deep within the mine's core, spewing sulphur gases into the air. These gases also magic-ed up the local bread with splashes of red, blue, and even cream hues. The catch?

It only happened around here, in the heart of Sweden. For a whiff, make for the old cage lift at Falun – it's laying low with an aroma of sulphur. Now dormant, the mine drops a staggering 340 meters down, stretching across 800 meters above ground. That's a heckuva lot of copper and sulphur in the air! With the local flora taking a hit thanks to those fumes, the locals found a way to spin the leftovers of copper production. They labeled it Falu Rödfärg, meaning ‘Falu Red Paint’.

Contrary to the name, it wasn't just red; it came in shades of blue and even cream. The humid climate around here seemed to be the perfect recipe for these shades. The winds fed on the red corrosion from metal building walls, mixing it with water, and voila – your Swedish birch with a red tint. The mine closed up shop not too long ago, leaving it silent. But the colors remain, plastered on the walls, roofs, and entrances. The yarn of Falu Rödfärg is as colorful as any storybook tale – and that's just grand

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons