Ironworks in Sweden
Österbybruk
The Österbybruk was established by the King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. Int 1643 it was acquired by Louis de Geer and in his time Österbybruk became the center of weapon manufacturing in Sweden. Later it was owned by Grill and Tamm families. The manor house of Österbybruk was built in 1763-1780 by the design of Elias Kessler and Erik Palmstedt. There is also a Calvinist church with a mirror hall bui ...Pershyttan
Pershyttan is a small mining town which has been restored and kept mainly as a working museum of Bergslagen"s mining and iron handling which started in the early 14th century. One of Sweden"s best preserved charcoal-fuelled blast furnaces from 1856 can be found in Pershyttan. In the area is there is also one of the biggest working water wheels.Dylta Bruk
The first sulfur factory in Dylta was mentioned in 1558. It was first owned by the Crown. In 1649 Queen Christina gave mill to Henrik Barckhusen. The Privy Council baron Samuel Åkerhielm became in 1739 the owner of Dylta Mill, which belonged to the family Åkerhielm in 265 years. The main building, which is built in wood, dates back to the 1740s. In the 1850s, the well-known architect J.F. Åbom designed ...Motjärnshyttan
Motjärnshyttan is one of the largest and best preserved forges in Värmland. It was founded by Finnish emigrants in 1643, but it was moved to the current place in 1700. The manufacturing continued until 1916. The current forge dates from 1853.Söderfors Ironworks
Söderfors Ironworks was established in 1676 by Claes Anckarström (Depken). Claes Grill acquired it in 1748 and strongly developed both the foundry and village. The manor and church were built in 1792 by the Gustavian design of Erik Palmstedt. There is also fine English park built in 1748-1800 with a Doric style temple (1795).Storbrohyttan Foundry
The Storbro foundry on lake Lersjön was one of the many foundrys that manufactured pig iron. It was established in 1590 and originally called the Carlsbro foundry but since the 17th century it has been called Storbro foundry. It is one of Värmland county´s construction landmarks, it´s owned by the historical society- Filipstads Bergslags Hembygdsförening- and adminstrated by föreningen V&au ...Norn Ironworks
Norn was an industrial community founded in 1628 by Lars Larsson. It constructed a smelting-house for the excavation of iron ore. The industry had continued for almost three hundred years when it finally shut down in 1916, though the power station that supplied electricity to the village is still in use. There are several mines in the surrounding forest, although none of them is currently operating. The village consists o ...Engelsberg Ironworks
Engelsberg Ironworks in Västmanland was constructed in 1681 and developed into one of the world's most modern ironworks in the period 1700-1800. The property comprises the mansion and park, works offices, workers' homes, and industrial buildings. Engelsberg is the only ironworks in Sweden that still preserves the buildings and most of the technical equipment. Engelsberg Ironworks was inscribed on the World Heritage L ...Vattholma Ironworks
The Vattholma ironworks is one of the oldest in Sweden. Smelters are believed to have been active here back as far as the 15th century. Wattholma operated under the Crown until the end of the 16th century. Walloon forging was introduced during the 1600s and was used until the 1870s, when it was replaced by the Lancashire method. Wattholma also featured a blast furnace that was moved in 1758. Bar iron production ceased in ...Forsbacka Ironworks
The first trip hammer in Forsbacka was mentioned in 1591. In 1640 Dutchman Henry Marhein built an ironworks. The 18th century was the golden age of Forsbacka. The first blast furnace was built in 1744. Several workshop buildings were built in next decades, as well as a luxurious Forsbacka Manor in 1777. It contained a stable, English-style park and Orangery. Today Forsbacka is an old ironworks environment that has been r ...Galtström Ironworks
Galtström ironworks was founded in 1673 and it was the largest in Medelpad region. Today it is one of Medelpad largest tourist destination with over 30,000 visitors a year. Among arranged guided tours in summertime, there are steam engines, blast furnace and old manor. Galtström church (built 1680-1697) is also located nearby. It is Norrland"s first ironworks church.Lummelunda Ironworks
The hydropower has been used for industrial purposes in Lummelunda since Middle Ages. Original sawmills were replaced by the ironworks in the late 1600s. In the 17-18th centuries Lummelunda was a thriving industrial area. Today the area is beautiful, many-sided recreational area with nature trails, mill park, café, mill wheel and shops.Bäckefors Ironworks
Bäckefors Ironworks Museum is a traditional ironworks where you can learn about time honoured industrial methods. The iron manufacturing started in 1767 and in the early 19th century Bäckefors was one of the largest ironworks in Sweden. It was closed down in 1877. You will find a charcoal house, a mill, a sawmill, and a blacksmith´s shop displaying old equipment here. There is also a folk museum on the ...Kengis Forge
In 1644, two Swedish noblemen, later called Renstierna ('Reindeer star'), set up a forge in the Swedish village Pajala (Finnish for 'forge village') north of the Arctic Circle. As Sweden at that time was very eager to mint all the copper found in the country, they also got a concession for minting. Renstiernas minted both plate money and minor local coins in values of 5, 10, 15 and 20 öre. Kengis ...Strömsberg Ironworks
Strömsberg Ironworks was established in 1643-1645 by Flamish Welam Vervier and it was in use 275 years. The industrial village is very well-preserved. The wooden manor house was built in 1757-1758 by Charles De Geer. The bell tower dates from 1736 and blast furnace from 1723. The other buildings originate mainly from the 19th century.Trångfors Forge
It was quite common in the 17th century for citizens in the Mälaren valley to invest in the iron industry. The first bar-iron forge at Trångfors was established in 1628 by Adolf Willemson, a merchant from Västerås. It started off small, with just three workers. In the latter half of the 18th century, the Strömsholm canal cut straight across the Trångfors estate and the old manor house ha ...Bennebol Ironworks
The history of Bennebols Ironworks started in 1683, when Gustaf Otto Stenbock built there a blast furnace.A small ironworks village grew up to one of Uppland's many Walloon ironworks villages. Iron production ceased in 1884, but the village environment lives on, with a bailiff's residence that includes the ironworks office in one of the wings, a schoolhouse, a row of stables, remains of a charcoal house, a blast furnace, ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Eketorp Fort
Eketorp is an Iron Age fort in southeastern Öland, which was extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison. In the 20th century it was further reconstructed to become a heavily visited tourist site and a location for re-enactment of medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle.
The indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans. The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres. In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres in diameter. At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within the fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself.
In the late 600s AD the ringfort was mysteriously abandoned, and it remained unused until the early 11th century. This 11th century work generally built upon the earlier fort, except that stone interior cells were replaced with timber structures, and a second outer defensive wall was erected.
Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a medieval fortification for this region. A museum within the castle walls displays a few of the large number of artefacts retrieved by the National Heritage Board during the major decade long excavation ending in 1974. Inside the fort visitors are greeted by actors in medieval costumes who assume the roles of period artisans and merchants who might have lived there nine centuries earlier. There are also re-enactment scenes of skirmishes and other dramatic events of daily life from the Middle Ages.
Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of Route 136. There is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway. There is also a gift shop on site. During peak summer visitation, there are guided tours available. Visitors are assessed an admission charge.