Kolarbyn
Deep in the forest, right by a small lake south of Skinnskatteberg, lies the hostel Kolarbyn. Here, you can experience what it’s like to live in a charcoal burner’s hut and cook food over an open fire. However, you won’t have to be completely alone in the forest as the charcoal burners once were. Kolarbyn today has the status of a luxurious hostel, allowing you to enjoy a stress-free forest life and exciting nature and cultural experiences with others.
Every August, a charcoal kiln is built and lit in the traditional way to preserve and pass on the knowledge and traditions of how the charcoal burners lived. In this way, Kolarbyn Eco Lodge has become a part of preserving cultural history.
The Charcoal Burner and the Kiln
The work of a charcoal burner is a profession with a long tradition. As early as the Iron Age, it was discovered that blast furnaces burned hotter when fueled with charcoal instead of wood.
When they produced charcoal at that time, they filled pits in the ground with wood and set them alight. Then they covered the pits so that the fire received only a tiny amount of oxygen. The wood didn’t burn but rather smoldered, turning into charcoal.
Over time, charcoal burners learned to build kilns above ground instead of in pits. The charcoal kilns we see remnants of today were built above ground.
The charcoal burner first had to construct the kiln using wood that was sufficiently dry and then cover it with soil, turf, and grass. When the pile of wood was nearly airtight, it was lit. It was crucial to ensure it didn’t ignite into flames but smoldered slowly so the wood gradually turned into charcoal.
The first few days were the most critical, as the heat inside the kiln needed time to spread evenly. Constant attention was required to prevent the kiln from “flaring up” and catching fire. Because of this, charcoal burners could only sleep in short intervals, ensuring they didn’t miss if the kiln caught fire. Not until two to three weeks later, when the kiln had finished smoldering and all the wood had turned into charcoal, could the burner finally sleep through the night.
If a crack formed that let oxygen in, causing the wood to burn to ash, all the work on the kiln would have been in vain. To prevent this, the charcoal burner would repeatedly pack the outer layer of the kiln tightly to seal it and minimize oxygen entry.
Charcoal was easier to transport and handle than wood, so the kilns were set up in the forest near where the wood was cut. A single charcoal burner was often responsible for up to six kilns at a time. The work was hard and often lonely. During the charcoal production, the burners couldn’t go home; they had to stay in the forest, living in simple charcoal huts.
Charcoal production in Bergslagen’s forests continued until the end of World War II. Even today, you can find remnants of black charcoal in the soil. You might also find wild strawberries thriving where a charcoal kiln once stood.
Facts
“Sweden’s most primitive hostel.” 12 charcoal huts. Traditional charcoal kiln.
Charcoal was once a necessary raw material for iron production.
Lienshyttan nearby was one of the last blast furnaces powered by charcoal, ceasing operation in 1959.
Without Sweden’s forests, the country could never have become a world-leading producer of iron.
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