Falu Gruva is the most famous mine in the history of Sweden, where copper mining began in the early Middle Ages, then reached its largest scale in the 17th century, when about 1,300 miners worked here. Mined copper allowed Sweden to conduct military aggression and pay for its expenses with coins. By the end of the 18th century, the copper reserves were exhausted, in 1992 the mine was closed forever.

There are about 30 km of underground tunnels, but the excursion down is quite short and modest (although I have not been to the copper mines yet, so I ticked the box).

I was much more impressed by the walk around the "Great Pit", which was formed when the entire complex of dug tunnels collapsed in 1687. Fortunately, it happened on the Midsommar holiday, so miraculously no one died.

The town that was formed around metal mining is included in the UNESCO list too. The main square of the city (Stora Torget) is specially highlighted as a separate part of the object. To be honest, I didn't see any special urban ensemble, yes, the Kristine kyrke church dominates with baroque interiors, there is a lot of free space that was filled on holidays with fairs, town hall and several representative buildings from the 19th century. The monument to the leader of the popular uprising, Engelbrecht, stands out.

Falun was the second largest city in Sweden in 17th century, it's hard to believe it now.

Regional museum is also linked to the UNESCO site, because it is located on the historical square where ore and copper were weighed, and there is a separate exposition about Falun as a "world heritage city". 

Dalarna region occupies a special place in the Swedish imagination not only as a region of miners, but also as a typical ethnographic Sweden, with many of its own traditions, folk costumes and wooden horses (Dalahäst).