Stripa mine and its adjacent facilities is one of my real favourites. The site shows properties almost like an organism, which has evolutionary grown over the years, reached its peak and then proceeded downhill towards today’s state of “aesthetic decay”. The core of the present facilities were completed in 1937, including the centrepiece formed by the fantastic headframe over Lundborg's shaft. Although in very bad condition, the headframe with its yellow-red-brownish livery and distinctive texture moves the thoughts to some exclusive sort of wood.

The site comprises a complete mining industry of a pre-WWII vintage and its supporting infrastructure is scattered over a fairly large area, and it somewhat seems like nothing ever has been demolished. As different to many other mines, it is more or less integrated with its most adjacent village, including its roads and residential houses. What makes the site really unique is that everything is still more or less intact back from the old days, even as the mine closed as late as 1977.

Since its closure, the mine has been subject to research in deep-underground deposit of hazardous waste including some other mineral enrichment projects, although all these ventures seems to have faded out the last years. As the entire mine atmosphere and environment has been so well preserved, there have been quite far going discussions in turning the entire site into a mining museum.

It is really one of these places worth a dedicated trip. If you happen to stop by and are looking for accommodation in the neighborhood, call Pelle at the Stripa Mining hostel (which happens to be an ex-accomodation for mine workers) – a superb 1940s atmosphere at great value.
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