Surahammars bruksmiljö
Surahammar Ironworks

Gustav Vasa, who was highly interested in expanding iron production in Bergslagen, realized that the strong current of the Kolbäck River would be perfect for driving a hammer. Therefore, he ensured that a royal ironworks—a crown-owned ironworks—was established here. The business did not go well, and by the end of the 17th century, only a small smithy remained.

But in the early 18th century, a woman, Christina Lilliestierna (1671–1744), took over the hammer mill. She lived in Riga and was married to the councilor Palamedes Rigeman. However, the city was invaded by the Russians during the Great Northern War. The entire Swedish army was scattered, and both the Swedish king, Karl XII, and many others fled. Christina Lilliestierna and her husband were also forced to leave and sought refuge in Stockholm.

Five years later, Palamedes passed away, and Christina saw an opportunity to buy the smithy in Surahammar. However, not everyone welcomed this, and a previous owner objected strongly. He was determined that Christina should not get it. After a ten-year legal battle, she finally succeeded in taking over the rundown hammer mill in 1726.

She then worked tirelessly to transform it into a flourishing ironworks. Her iron stamp, with the letters CSR – standing for her name, Christina Sophia, along with her husband’s last name, Rigeman became a well-known symbol of high-quality iron, helping Surahammar’s ironworks become one of the most successful in Sweden. Long after Christina’s death in 1744, the same iron stamp continued to be used in Surahammar.

However, after Christina’s death, the ironworks’ production declined, and in the 19th century, goldsmith and industrialist Eric Adolf Zethelius of Nyby ironworks heard that Surahammar’s ironworks would be auctioned off. He seized the opportunity, full of ideas, and immediately began developing the ironworks with several innovations, including puddling furnaces, steam hammers, and rolling mills. In an English-style park on one of the islands in the Kolbäck River, he also built the manor house, designed like a castle, to showcase the grandeur of the ironworks.

Surahammar’s Industrial Museum was inaugurated in the late 1920s. Much of the workshop equipment remains in its original location, allowing visitors to see and follow the entire manufacturing process from pig iron to finished forged wheels. A major renovation took place in the 1950s.

A short distance from the Industrial Museum is Stenhuset located, where six blacksmith families once lived. One of the apartments has been converted into a museum.
Surahammar’s old industrial area can be explored on foot among the buildings and through Bruksparken (the ironworks park), or by following the canal along a historical path. It is both beautiful and fascinating to walk among the buildings here or stroll along the canal.

Stenhuset is open to the public and is run by the the association Konst & Hantverksgille, which organizes art exhibitions, sells local products, and runs a café. Next to Stenhuset is the heritage museum. The former inn and workers’ mess hall, Gyllene Hjulet, still stands, with wall paintings by artist Jerk Werkmäster. Today, the building houses a motorcycle museum, featuring treasures such as a replica of the first mass-produced car and a Vabis from 1903. Engineer Gustav Eriksson at the ironworks, who designed the car, suggested that it should be manufactured in Surahammar. However, it was ultimately produced by the Vagnsfabriksbolaget Vabis in Södertälje.