Lekomberg Mine

Up here on Lekomberget, you’ll find the most beautiful viewpoint in the Ludvika municipality. But there’s also a dark history tied to the mine located here.
 

Lekomberg is located just under 10 kilometers north of Ludvika. A mine was opened here in 1630, but since the iron ore contained too much phosphorus, making the iron difficult to process, mining operations were shut down after eight years.
After several more attempts to extract high-quality iron from the mines at Lekomberget, the mine was purchased by a German steel company in the early 1900s. They made significant investments, building workers’ housing, headframes, engine houses, and a concentration and sorting plant to separate waste rock from the ore, similar to the setup at Flogberget Mine. This time, operations went much better than in the 17th century.
During the height of World War II, 200 people worked here, many of them German guest workers. Nearly all the iron ore was sent to Nazi Germany, which desperately needed iron for its deadly war weapons.
 

When Germany lost the war in 1945, the Flight Capital Bureau was established in Sweden. Its purpose was to ensure that Germany no longer owned any companies in Sweden. Sweden had signed a resolution with 44 other countries to prevent Germany from using capital abroad for future wars. The Flight Capital Bureau’s administration took over ownership of the mine, and five years later, it was transferred to AB Statsgruvor, which eventually shut it down.
 

The Miners at Lekomberg Mine
A documentation about Lekomberg describes the working conditions in the mine:
It states that mining work was risky and hazardous. Over the years, some miners lost their lives, and many suffered severe injuries like crushed arms and legs. There were accidents with elevators, unexpected collapses of ore or rock, and premature or delayed explosions. The stories are many. Many years ago, it’s said that a worker fell from a high position where he was working and plummeted down the shaft. But, as if by a miracle, he got caught on a support beam and survived.
 

Lekomberg’s Viewpoint
The viewpoint was built using the remnants of the large crushing machines that pulverized parts of the mountain to extract ore. From here, you have a stunning, wide-ranging view of Lake Väsman’s beautiful archipelago and the blue mountains resting in the background. You can also see Storgården, the home of the author Karl-Erik Forsslund, which was also featured in a well-known book. Additionally, you’ll spot Brunnsvik Folk High School, where many writers took their first steps in writing.
The forest and landscape also reveal glimpses of Bergslagen’s history as an iron-producing region, where mines and blast furnaces supported generations of people.
From Lekomberg’s viewpoint, you can see the headframes of Blötberget, Grängesberg, and Saxberget—monuments to a bygone era. If the trees and mountains could speak, we would hear countless fascinating yet forgotten stories.
 

Facts

Mining area dating back to the 1600s with beautiful views. Hiking trail. Visit independently.
Well signposted.