Preserved mid-19th-century Creutz shaft headframe at Falun Mine, the only surviving historic shaft head at the UNESCO World Heritage copper mine complex.
Creutzlaven is the surviving headframe structure of the Creutz shaft at Falun Mine (Falu Gruva) in Falun, Dalarna County, Sweden — one of the world's most important historic copper mines, operating from around the 10th century until 1992 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The Creutz shaft takes its name from a provincial governor of the 17th century and is the only shaft from the early modern period of the mine to have been preserved with its surface structures intact. The headframe, which remains in its original mid-19th-century position, has become one of the most recognisable landmarks of the mine complex above ground.
The shaft descends 208 metres to the bottom, making the crossing platform of the shaft head the highest bridge in Sweden. A characteristic bell formerly served as an alarm for the pump that kept the shaft clear of water. The headframe is open to visitors for most of the year, and underground mine tours pass the shaft at a depth of approximately 50 metres, where a barrel used for transporting ore still hangs.
The area around the headframe includes Creutz's hoist house and wheel house.
The Creutz shaft at Falun Mine (Falu Gruva) is named after a Swedish provincial governor of the 17th century. It is the only shaft from the early modern period of the mine that has been preserved with its surface head structures intact. The headframe, known as Creutzlaven, remains where it was constructed in the mid-19th century, making it one of the most distinctive surviving features of the surface landscape of the mine.
Falun Mine, known in Swedish as Falu Gruva, is among the most historically significant mines in Europe. Archaeological and geological evidence indicates that copper mining began at the site of Stora Kopparberget (the Great Copper Mountain) at Falun in around the year 1000, with objects from the 10th century having been found containing copper from the mine. The mine was first mentioned in a written document in 1288. Mining operations were initially of small scale, carried out by local farmers, but expanded significantly from the late medieval period. German and other foreign miners and merchants brought new techniques that transformed Falun into a centre of mining innovation.
By the 17th century the mine had reached its greatest importance. During this period it produced as much as two-thirds of Europe's copper needs and was described by the Privy Council of Sweden as the nation's treasury and stronghold. Peak copper output occurred in 1650, when over 3,000 tonnes of copper were produced. The mine's copper funded Sweden's wars during its great power era, and Falun copper was used to roof many of Europe's major buildings, including the Palace of Versailles. The mountain had by this time been mined so intensively that cave-ins were not unusual. On Midsummer's Eve 1687, a major collapse occurred, forming the enormous open pit known as Stora Stöten (the Great Pit), with a diameter of 1.6 kilometres and a depth of 95 metres. By chance, no miners were killed as the collapse occurred during a holiday.
During the 18th century copper production declined and the mining company diversified into iron and timber production. The production of Falun red paint (Faluröd), made from the iron ochre remaining from copper production, began in earnest at this time. In 1881, gold was discovered in the mine, resulting in a short-lived gold rush; a total of 5 tonnes of gold were eventually extracted.
The Creutz shaft headframe was built in the mid-19th century. The shaft descends 208 metres to its bottom, and the crossing platform of the headframe constitutes the highest bridge in Sweden. A characteristic bell mounted at the shaft served as a warning device for the water pump; if the bell fell silent it indicated a pump fault requiring immediate attention. Underground mine tours conducted at the site pass the shaft at a depth of approximately 50 metres, where a barrel used historically for transporting ore, equipment, and occasionally miners still hangs within the shaft. Adjacent to the headframe are Creutz's hoist house, Creutz's wheel house, and Husbergs pivot, all associated with the operation of raising ore and water from the mine.
By the late 20th century the mine was no longer economically viable. The last shot was fired in the mine on 8 December 1992, and all commercial mining ceased. Since 1970 a small part of the mine had been open to the public, with a lift taking visitors to a shaft 67 metres below ground. The mine museum's collection of artefacts began in the 1890s and is considered Sweden's first technical museum; it was redesigned in 2017. On 31 December 2001, the mining area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of 15 in Sweden. The World Heritage area encompasses the mine itself, the 17th-century planned town of Falun, historic miners' cottages, and the wider landscape of Bergsmansbygden settled by free miners. Creutzlaven and the associated shaft-head structures are among the most prominent visible features of the heritage site and are open to visitors for most of the year.