From 1865 to 1972, the village of Visnes, 4km west of Avaldsnes, was home to the largest and most sophisticated copper mine in Norway. Over its lifetime, more than 4 million tonnes of copper, zinc and sulfur were extracted here – some of which was used to build the Statue of Liberty. This small museum explores the mine's history.
Buildings include the original melting hut, administration building and workers' houses. The museum is also surrounded by parkland, created by the mine's French engineer Charles Defrance so that he had more terrain to ride his horse on.
Guided tours run in summer. A mini-sized version of the Statue of Liberty stands a short walk to the west beside the harbour.
