Year 1686 

In 1623, silver ore was found in Sandsvær in southern Norway. In the following year the mining town of Kongsberg was founded and the silver mine established. Initially, the silver was sent to mints in Copenhagen and Christiania (Oslo). However, in 1686 the Royal Norwegian Mint was moved to Kongsberg. A fine series of species talers from the 1690s carries edge inscriptions referring to the wealth of silver in the Sandsvær region: 

Hidden in the hills 
mined by our men 
flowing from the ovens 
the silver is our wealth
(Det klipperne yder 
vor bergmand udbryder 
hvad hytten da gyder 
af mynten vi nyder)

God hid this Nordic treasure 
for King Christian the Fifth's pleasure
(Saadan Nordens skat Gud giemte 
til kong Christian den femte) 

For more than 300 years, the Royal Norwegian Mint has been located below the southwest abutment of the bridge over the rapids at the centre of Kongsberg (Nybrofossen).