Christian Thams
Encyclopedia
Christian Thams was a Norwegian
architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.
, Sør-Trøndelag
, Norway
. His parens were Marentius Thams (1836-1907) and Emilie Christine Ullitz (1838-1916). He was educated at a school for boys in Grenchen
, Switzerland
and at a technical school in Holzminden
, Germany
.
The foundation of the family fortune was Örkedals Mining Company. His grandfather Wilhelm August Thams (1812-1884), together with Norwegian businessman Christian Salvesen, had started Ørkedalens Mining in Meldal
in 1867.
The acquisition of the Løkken Mine in 1896 marked their dominant position with control of all mines in the region. The Løkken mine was however flooded, and in order to extract the pyrite Thams had to empty the mine of water. This was done by constructing a pipeline from nearby lake Bjørnlivatnet to transport water to a power station inside the mine. This power station produced 60 kilowatt too run a pump station mounted on a timber raft. As the water was pumped out of the mine, the raft sank with the sinking water, and in this way the mine was emptied of water in two years.
. Thams soon realized that extended access to electricity would be of great benefit to his businesses. He therefore decided to build a hydro electric plant, and got a concession to build at Skjenaldfossen waterfall, following his acquisition in 1899 of the rights to utilize the power from the river. This marked the beginning of large-scale production at the mine and an important milestone in the history of the Norwegian
industrial conglomerate Orkla
. Christian Thams is also known for construction of Thamshavnbanen
, the first electric railroad in Norway
, visited by Norwegian king Haakon VII at its opening on July 10, 1908.
Among Thams' other activities was Strandheim Brug, a sawmill
and prefabrication of houses business. This production was also powered by hydroelectricity. The successful industrialization of the activities in Orkdal
coincided with other key entrepreneurial ventures of that time (1890 to 1910) that were all based on the new technology of hydroelectricity. Most of them are still key players in the Norwegian economy. In addition to Orkla, Norsk Hydro
, Borregaard
and Hafslund
are prominent examples.
, Knight First Class Order of St. Olav, Knight in the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
and Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
His former residence in the village of Orkanger
, Bårdshaug Herregård, was located on the banks of the Orkdalsfjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord
, at the mouth of the Orklaelva. It is today the site of a historic hotel.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.
Background
Christian Marius Thams was born in TrondheimTrondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. His parens were Marentius Thams (1836-1907) and Emilie Christine Ullitz (1838-1916). He was educated at a school for boys in Grenchen
Grenchen
Grenchen is a municipality in the district of Lebern in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel. With over 16,000 inhabitants, it is one of the larger towns of the canton of Solothurn...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and at a technical school in Holzminden
Holzminden
Holzminden is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located directly on the river Weser, which here is the border to North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The foundation of the family fortune was Örkedals Mining Company. His grandfather Wilhelm August Thams (1812-1884), together with Norwegian businessman Christian Salvesen, had started Ørkedalens Mining in Meldal
Meldal
Meldal is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region.The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The village of Meldal has a population of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, and Storås...
in 1867.
The acquisition of the Løkken Mine in 1896 marked their dominant position with control of all mines in the region. The Løkken mine was however flooded, and in order to extract the pyrite Thams had to empty the mine of water. This was done by constructing a pipeline from nearby lake Bjørnlivatnet to transport water to a power station inside the mine. This power station produced 60 kilowatt too run a pump station mounted on a timber raft. As the water was pumped out of the mine, the raft sank with the sinking water, and in this way the mine was emptied of water in two years.
Career
In 1904 Christian Thams founded Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag whose main activity was mining at Løkken VerkLøkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
. Thams soon realized that extended access to electricity would be of great benefit to his businesses. He therefore decided to build a hydro electric plant, and got a concession to build at Skjenaldfossen waterfall, following his acquisition in 1899 of the rights to utilize the power from the river. This marked the beginning of large-scale production at the mine and an important milestone in the history of the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
industrial conglomerate Orkla
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
. Christian Thams is also known for construction of Thamshavnbanen
Thamshavnbanen
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 25 Hz 6.6 kV AC. It was built to transport pyrites...
, the first electric railroad in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, visited by Norwegian king Haakon VII at its opening on July 10, 1908.
Among Thams' other activities was Strandheim Brug, a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and prefabrication of houses business. This production was also powered by hydroelectricity. The successful industrialization of the activities in Orkdal
Orkdal
Orkdal is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Orkanger. Other villages in the municipality include Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, and...
coincided with other key entrepreneurial ventures of that time (1890 to 1910) that were all based on the new technology of hydroelectricity. Most of them are still key players in the Norwegian economy. In addition to Orkla, Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
, Borregaard
Borregaard
Borregaard is a Norwegian company, established in 1889 in the southeastern town of Sarpsborg in Østfold county. Its main products were traditionally pulp and paper. The company later started producing chemicals based on timber as a raw material...
and Hafslund
Hafslund
Hafslund is a borough in the city of Sarpsborg, Norway, located east of the city centre.Before 1992 Hafslund was a part of Skjeberg municipality. The name Hafslund, which is composed of Hafr, the Old Norse name of husband and lundr meaning grove...
are prominent examples.
Honors
Christian Trams served as Belgian Consul General in Norway, French vice-consul, and Commercial Trade representative for Monaco. Thams received various honors including Gold medal for Norway's pavilion at the Exposition Universelle (1889)Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
, Knight First Class Order of St. Olav, Knight in the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
and Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
His former residence in the village of Orkanger
Orkanger
Orkanger is village and former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Orkdal at the end of the Orkdalsfjorden, and arm of the Trondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the administrative and commercial centre of the municipality of Orkdal...
, Bårdshaug Herregård, was located on the banks of the Orkdalsfjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord
Trondheimsfjord
The Trondheimsfjord , an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third longest fjord at long. It is located in the west central part of the country, and it stretches from Ørland in west to Steinkjer in north, passing the city of Trondheim on its way...
, at the mouth of the Orklaelva. It is today the site of a historic hotel.
Sources
- Tokle, Bjørn (1998) Communication gjennom 100 år (Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab)