Karmansbo Ironworks Environment
In 2022, Karmansbo Ironworks Environment was named Industrial Heritage Museum of the Year by the Museum of Work. Part of the jury’s reasoning: “The beating heart of the Mumblings Hammer brings iron processing to life at Karmansbo Ironworks. Thanks to the hard work of the association, iron handling is demonstrated in the same way as it was 250 years ago, with the glowing iron in an authentic environment… a vibrant destination for all the senses!”
Karmansbo derives its name from the medieval name Karlman, but it was originally called Frölischhammar after the man who founded the ironworks in the late 1500s.
In 1855, Johan Gustav Schwan became the owner. He was a politician who fought for liberal free trade ideas and was head of the firm Schön & Co., which traded iron and lent money to ironworks owners. When one of his customers, the ironworks owner af Nordin at Karmansbo, went bankrupt, Schwan purchased the estate and became the new owner.
Johan Gustav Schwan and his wife Augusta Eleonora governed Karmansbo Ironworks in the mid-1800s. However, they had opposing views on humanity. Gustav loved parties and extravagant dinners. Journalist and satirist Hans Bernard Palmaer described him as: “With his extravagant lifestyle and penchant for challenging conventions, not least in the realm of sexual morality, Schwan was seen even in his lifetime as the epitome of the selfish and hedonistic bourgeois boor.” A critique Gustav took lightly, stating in one of his political speeches: “Do as I say, not as I live.”
Augusta, on the other hand, was empathetic and proactive. She was only 18 when she married her cousin Gustav. Twenty years later, when they took over Karmansbo Ironworks, she was struck by how poorly educated most of the workers were. Many of the older blacksmiths couldn’t even write their names to collect their wages, and the situation was even worse for women.
After much thought, she devised a plan. She would establish a girls’ school and a crafts and domestic school for the women at the ironworks. The newspaper Köpings Tidning pledged to subsidize the education. Additionally, older blacksmiths would receive help learning to read and write.
By 1860, everything was ready, and the schools were opened for girls, women, and the older blacksmiths. Thanks to Augusta, Karmansbo Ironworks eventually became a model ironworks, where even the agriculture was considered among the best in the region.
Karmansbo was a bustling community where the forge was one of the most important workplaces in the area. In the Lancashire furnaces, now restored, pig iron was remelted. Through this process, the blacksmiths produced high-quality iron suitable for manufacturing tools, which were sold worldwide. Producing this fine iron required not only the blacksmiths but also significant labor to produce charcoal and transport materials to and from the ironworks. There were also brickworks, sawmills, and agriculture in the area.
Facts
Ironworks environment with operations until 1958.
Lancashire forge with a seven-ton Mumblings Hammer powered by a waterwheel. The waterwheel has been reconstructed, and the rolling mill and blower machine have been restored. The blacksmith’s wing includes an ironworks apartment furnished in turn-of-the-century style (18th-19th century).
The manor house, built in 1759, is now a conference hotel, offering bed & breakfast during the summer.
“Iron Day” is held annually on the first Saturday in July, during which the Lancashire furnaces are lit.
