Granite Stones from the Acid Tower at Rjukan

What does Sandviken have to do with fertilizer? Well did you know that the granite stones that you can see in several places around Sandviken, previously had a different use? Drammen granite was formed approximately 280 million years ago. The stones here were taken from the acid tower at Rjukan, where nitric acid was extracted to make fertilizer! The invention of fertilizer revolutionised world food production and in 1911 the first barrels of fertilizer rolled out of Rjukan. This industry helped Norway go from one of the poorest lands in Norway to one of the richest in the space of 100 years. It took 200 blocks of granite to make an acid tower of around 23 metres high. It was important that the stones were especially resistant to acid corrosion over a long period of time. In total there were 72 such acid towers in Rjukan business park. Now there is only one tower remaining as an industrial monument, and it is the only one of its kind in the whole word. You can learn more about this amazing industrial adventure by visiting Vemork.