Orkdal

Orkdal lies in Trøndelag, along the Orkla valley leading toward the Trondheim Fjord. Farming communities occupied the valley, and Orkdal's parish administration has a recorded history extending back to the sixteenth century. Farther inland at Løkken, mining began in 1654. The works initially produced copper, and smelters at Svorkmo in the Orkla valley became an important industrial centre. Mining connected the valley's settlements with demand for labour, timber and transport as well as the movement of metal beyond the district. Agriculture and parish life continued alongside these activities in a region shaped by both the river and its route to the fjord.