Meraker Brug

AS Meraker Brug

Type	Private
Industry	Estate, forestry
Predecessor	Selbo Kobberverk
Founded	1906
Founder(s)	Thomas Fearnley
Headquarters	Meråker, Norway
Area served	Stjørdalen
Owner(s)	Astrup family
Website	merakerbrug.no

AS Meraker Brug is a company which owns 1,330 square kilometres (510 sq mi) of wilderness and forest estate, mostly in Meråker, Norway. Activities include forestry, cabin rental, hunting and fishing. It owns 1,219 square kilometres (471 sq mi) in Meråker, consisting of 96% of the municipality, 63 square kilometres (24 sq mi) in Malvik, 48 square kilometres (19 sq mi) in Stjørdal and 0.5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi) in Steinkjer.^[1][2] 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) is productive forest. The company is owned by the Astrup family, who live in the Oslo area.^[3]

Commercial activities in Meråker started the first centuries BCE, with iron mining and later charcoal and tar. Later copper mines and sawmills were established. The estate eventually became known as Selbo Kobberverk ("Selbo Copper Works"), which was bought by Hans Rasmus Astrup, which changed name to Meraker Brug. After Astrup's death in 1898, the estate was sold and was incorporated in 1906, and by then consisted of Mostadmarken gods, Hommelvik Bruk, the Port of Muruvik, Tangen Sagbruk, a sawmill in Stjørdal, Nustad Tesliperi, a sawmill, the carbide plant in Meråker (later Elkem Meraker), the copper mines and a limestone quarry in Meråker, as well as the hunting, fishing, waterfall and forestry rights on the real estate. It was bought by Thomas Fearnley, who incorporated the company after merging in the estates Forbygdgodset and Mostadmarka.^[4][3]

References

1. ^ Statistics Norway. "Tall om Meråker kommune" (in Norwegian). http://www.ssb.no/kommuner/1711. Retrieved 26 December 2010. 
2. ^ Meraker Brug. "Om selskapet" (in Norwegian). http://www.merakerbrug.no/Om_selskapet/. Retrieved 26 December 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Aune, Tormod (1995) (in Norwegian). Hilsen Nord-Trøndelag. Namsos: Trønderbok. ISBN 82-993613-0-3. 
4. ^ Meraker Brug. "Selskapets historie" (in Norwegian). http://www.merakerbrug.no/Selskapets_historie/. Retrieved 26 December 2010.