The enor­mous min­ing exca­va­tion known as the Great Pit at Falun is the most strik­ing fea­ture of a land­scape that illus­trates the activ­i­ty of cop­per pro­duc­tion in this region since at least the 13th cen­tu­ry. The 17th-cen­­tu­ry planned town of Falun with its many fine his­toric build­ings, togeth­er with the indus­tri­al and domes­tic remains of a num­ber of set­tle­ments spread over a wide area of the Dalar­na region, pro­vide a vivid pic­ture of what was for cen­turies one of the world‘s most impor­tant min­ing areas.