Surahammar Municipality
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Surahammar Municipality is a Municipality in Västmanland County, in central Sweden some 100 km west of Stockholm. The municipality covers an area of 344.6 km² and has three towns, Virsbo in the north, Ramnäs in the middle, and in the south: Surahammar, the municipal seat with 6,300 inhabitants.
They all sit on the banks of river Kolbäcksån and the Strömsholm Canal. The municipality is located in the southern part of the mineral-rich Bergslagen region. The total population in 2004 was 10,200 inhabitants and the population density was 30 inhabitants per km².
History
Steelmaking in this municipality was started in larger scale in the 16th and 17th centuries when forges where built here. Is was a new phenomena to run forge mills separate from mining and pig iron production sites in Bergslagen. The mills where located in Virsbo, Ramnäs and Surahammar and Pig iron was transported from mills further north, initially by horse-sledges in the winter. There was ample local supply of hydropower to run the forge hammers and timber to make charcoal. Later, when Strömsholm Canal was finished, it was used to ship finished products to Västerås and Stockholm for export. This restructuring process appears to have been driven by the need to secure access to hydropower and timber for the forges since both the mines and blast furnaces used up considerable amounts of resources in the production of pig iron.Over time the mills specialised and in Ramnäs the key product became iron chains - in modern days for the off-shore industry - and in Surahammar wheels for the railroad industry.
In Surahammar, Gustaf Eriksson developed the first combustion-engine automobile built i Sweden in 1897. It formed the basis for a new Swedish industry that was located in Södertälje under the name of Vagnfabriks-Aktiebolaget i Södertelge (renamed in 1906 to Vabis that later merged with Scania AB).
Today, the mills in Virsbo, Ramnäs and Surahammar have been transformed into modern industries with international owners.
Industry
- Surahammars Bruk AB - electrical steels
- Adtranz Wheelset AB - wheelsets for the railroad industry
- Metso Powdermet
- Scana Ramnäs AB
- Uponor Wirsbo AB
Tourism
The Strömsholm Canal has been restored and is a popular route for small yachts. You can navigate from Strömsholm palace, one of the Royal Palaces in Sweden at lake Mälaren to Fagersta and Smedjebacken through several canal locks and lakes, a total distance of 100 km.
Ecomuseum Bergslagen gives an in-depth view of how the early industrialization evolved in the Bergslagen region. It consists of some 40 sites.
External links
- [Surahammar] - Official site
- [Strömsholm Canal] - Official site
- [Surahammar Manor] - Official site
- [Ecomuseum Bergslagen] - Official site
| Västmanland County |
| Arboga | Fagersta | Hallstahammar | Heby | Kungsör | Köping | Norberg | Sala | Skinnskatteberg | Surahammar | Västerås |
| Counties of Sweden | Sweden |
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