Röda Jorden

Near Riddarhyttan, where a stream flows through the red earth, iron production began 2,700 years ago. Here, the earliest evidence has been found that people in Bergslagen were already capable of producing iron.
 

Five bloomery furnaces are located along a two-kilometer hiking trail through an enchanted forest where the Igeltjärnsbäcken stream flows. The trail opens into a clearing where a reconstructed prehistoric iron production site stands.
Despite the absence of mines or large blast furnaces, Iron Age people managed to produce the iron they needed. One can only imagine the many failed attempts they endured before discovering the method: digging stone slabs into the ground to form a four-sided frame, lining it with clay, filling it with wood or charcoal as fuel, and blowing air into the furnace using bellows to reach the necessary heat. This process gave the furnace its name—bloomery furnace, referring to the forced air blown into it.
 

The name of the area – Röda Jorden – originates from the iron ochre in the region, consisting of iron oxides that give the soil its rusty red color.
When the ice age ended and meltwater seeped into cracks in the bedrock, the water dissolved iron from the rock. As this iron-rich water continued to flow, it settled in lake bottoms and bogs.
When the iron came into contact with oxygen-producing bacteria, it transformed and could no longer remain dissolved in water. Over centuries, the layers of iron-colored soil became thicker and thicker. Even today, new red earth continues to form. From ten kilos of red earth, approximately four kilos of workable iron can be extracted.
 

During the Bronze Age, only the wealthiest had access to metal tools. But once the people of Bergslagen learned to locate bog iron ore and smelt it into iron, metal tools became more widely available.
Iron’s significance primarily lay in everyday objects. The new iron tools made it easier to cultivate land, hunt, and build houses.
 

The blacksmith was highly important in Iron Age society, as he crafted both iron tools and weapons. Even at that time, blacksmiths possessed remarkable technical knowledge and knew how to refine iron to achieve the desired quality. A skilled blacksmith could create tools that were both exceptionally sharp and highly durable.
 

Facts
A more than 2,700-year-old site for iron production using red earth, located deep in the forest.
A hiking trail leads to a reconstructed furnace where experimental demonstrations of iron production from red earth take place.
Each summer, during “Röda Jordens Day,” iron is produced using ancient methods by people dressed in historical clothing.
Approximately a two-kilometer-long hiking trail.
Self-guided visits. Well-marked signage.