Sala (pop. 40,000), 40km/25mi north of Västerås, enjoyed a period of prosperity in the 16th century, when the local silver mines made a major contribution to the country's revenue. The silver ore worked here was said to have one of the highest silver contents in the world. The town received its municipal charter in 1625, but the mines were already being worked at the end of the 15th century. The mines were controlled by a bailiff residing in Väsby Kungsgård, now a museum. The conducted tours of the town, the mines and the museum are a popular activity.
The deepest shaft is the Charles XI Shaft (318.80m/1,046ft). The Queen Christina Shaft, at the entrance to the mine, is 257m/843ft deep. The power supply of the mines was provided by water-mills. By the time the mines closed down in 1908 they had yielded a total of 500 tons of pure silver and 30,000 tons of lead. Although mining continued on a very small scale until about 1950, the annual yield declined into insignificance.
In the Stora Torg, in the center of the town, are the Town Hall and the Town House. Suckarnas Allé ("Avenue of Sighs"), which extends along the Övre Damm, commemorates Gustavus Adolphus's love affair with Ebba Brahe. 1km/0.75mi north of the town stands the 14th century Provincial Assembly Church, with wall paintings of 1465, the earliest known work by Albertus Pictor. The reredos (ca. 1520) came from Brussels.
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