One of the richest iron ore deposits at Norberg is Mossgruvan, where the mining museum is situated today. The visitor is given an idea of how it was to work and live by a mine more than a hundred years ago. The correct name is Risbergs konstschakt and the building was raised in 1876 over a 114 metre deep mine shaft. The shaft was originally sunk in the18th century.
A very important function of the shaft was to drain the mine. From the shaft it was possible to keep several adjoining pits free from water. The pump equipment was operated using power transmitted from a water wheel by means of a ”stånggång”, a long wooden construction.
The old pumping station has been restored. Visitors are today shown how water is pumped up from the mine. They can also look down the mine shaft.
Apart from the pumping station, a cable operated lift car to carry the miners as well as a canteen, a small foreman’s office and a forge are shown in the pit head building. Visitors can see the tools used by the smith and the old machine used to plane wood, still in working order. A visit to the mining museum may be combined with a tour of Mossgruveparken, a museum park with a signposted walk leading between the old water filled mine holes.
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The city walls of Avila were built in the 11th century to protect the citizens from the Moors. They have been well maintained throughout the centuries and are now a major tourist attraction as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can walk around about half of the length of the walls.
The layout of the city is an even quadrilateral with a perimeter of 2,516 m. Its walls, which consist in part of stones already used in earlier constructions, have an average thickness of 3 m. Access to the city is afforded by nine gates of different periods; twin 20 m high towers, linked by a semi-circular arch, flank the oldest ones, Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta del Alcázar.