Visiting Røros during the off-season felt like stepping into a forgotten chapter of Norwegian history. The old copper-mining town became almost ghostly quiet when the crowds disappeared. At the heart of the town stood the former copper mining site, its massive mining piles of dark rock forming a miniature mountain that dominated the landscape. Walking up to these piles was a gentle but rewarding climb. From the top, the entire town unfolded below with rows of timber houses, the pastel-painted facades glowing softly in the pale light, and the unmistakable spire of Røros Church rising above the rooftops. Next to the mine piles, we could see the former wooden houses of the workers, some with grass growing on their roofs, and a few almost buried under the piles of rock, silent witnesses to the town’s industrial past. Even though Røros grew from an industrial mining heritage, the feeling it gives today is completely different. Its cozy urban landscape, with friendly proportions and gentle colors, feels inviting and human, remarkably warm even with such a huge pile of dark rocks standing right beside the town.

Beside the mining site ran a small creek that once helped power the copper works. Over time, the stream had been dammed, forming a series of charming waterfalls. The sound of rushing water contrasted beautifully with the stillness of the mine, adding life and movement to an otherwise quiet scene. In the late afternoon light, the water shimmered against the dark stones, reminding us how nature continues to coexist with traces of the industrial past. Strolling along the town’s two main streets, Kjerkgata and Bergmannsgata, felt almost surreal. With hardly any tourists around, the empty streets looked like a postcard come to life, calm, colorful, and perfectly preserved in time. Long rows of historic wooden houses, many with pastel-painted facades, lined the streets, giving a vivid sense of Røros’s unique heritage. When comparing Røros to other industrial UNESCO sites in its neighboring Sweden, its distinct character becomes even clearer. Falun with its deep red buildings and vast open copper pit, leaves a striking impression of destruction. Engelsberg Ironworks feels more like an open-air museum with preserved furnaces and manor houses beside a quiet lake. Røros, by contrast, remains alive and lived-in. While it is still shaped by its mining past, it feels more intimate and approachable, a town where the industrial heritage blends into the rhythm of daily life rather than overwhelming the landscape.

While much of the town felt sleepy in the off-season, local traditions lived on through its food and drink. In the evening, we sampled the local Rørosøl, a small-batch traditional beer brewed in the town, which added a wonderfully authentic taste of Røros to our dinner. During our stay, I also fell in love with the cozy hotel where we stayed. Its warm atmosphere was perfect after a day of exploring, and I couldn’t resist trying the brunost butter cake, a rich, sweet treat with a gentle caramel flavor that perfectly captured the essence of Norwegian baking. For breakfast, the hotel offered Tjukkmjølk, the traditional thick fermented milk that miners once relied on as a filling morning meal, which I enjoyed with thin crispbread, Røros’s most beloved specialties called Røroslefse or Røros flatbrød, known throughout Norway. Light, rustic, and subtly nutty in flavor, it has become a staple found in supermarkets as far away as Oslo. We also noticed that prices in Røros were higher than in other places we visited in Norway, a simple observation about the town’s cost of living.

Visiting Røros was quite enjoyable. The town’s cozy streets, with their pastel-painted wooden houses and peaceful atmosphere, made strolling through it pleasant. It may not leave lasting memories or be a must-visit for everyone, but it is still a good place to experience. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980, Røros was among the first Norwegian sites inscribed, alongside Bryggen in Bergen and Urnes Stave Church, showing how Norwegians recognized the importance of Røros’s heritage within the nation. Even though it is far from a hidden secret, the town still retains the charm and calm of a less-traveled corner of the country, offering a glimpse into its mining history and quiet town life.