How it started
History
The company's origin and background dates back to the early 1600s.
The discovery of silver in the mountains around Kongsberg in 1624 meant that the city became an important mineral resource for the Danish Norwegian kingdom. When the Danish-Norwegian union was dissolved about 200 years later there was a need to build up a strong defence that would contribute to independence and security for Norway.
There was a need for a domestic defence industry, and Kongsberg already had expertise after centuries of mining. On 20 March 1814 Poul Steenstrup founded Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk.
1813–1890: Origins
1813 was an important year for Norway. The nation wrote its constitution and the weapons factory was one of the nation's first industrial factories.
From Wikipedia’s article on Kongsberg Gruppen, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2