Bergslagen is a historically, culturally, and linguistically distinct mining district located north of Lake Mälaren

Mälaren

Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...

 in northern Svealand

Svealand

Svealand , Swealand or Sweden proper is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, Tylöskog, Kolmården, separated Svealand from Götaland...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. In Bergslagen mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 and metallurgic

Metallurgy

Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...

 industry have been important since the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

. The region is to be distinguished from Malmfälten

Malmfälten

Malmfälten is a major mining district in Sweden, centred around the northern towns of Kiruna and Malmberget....

 ("the Ore Fields"), the mining district of northernmost Sweden centered at the towns of Kiruna

Kiruna

Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...

 and Malmberget

Malmberget

Malmberget is a locality and mining town situated in Gällivare Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 6,017 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated 5 kilometres from the municipal seat Gällivare....

, that has been of greater importance during the 20th century.

Bergslagen covers part of the provinces

Provinces of Sweden

The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....

 of Västmanland

Västmanland

' is a historical Swedish province, or landskap, in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.The name comes from "West men", referring to the people west of Uppland, the core province of early Sweden.- Administration :...

, Dalarna

Dalarna

', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....

 (the southern part), and Värmland

Värmland

' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...

 (the eastern part). Typical towns in the area include Nora

Nora, Sweden

Nora is a locality and the seat of Nora Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 6,496 inhabitants in 2005.Despite its small population, Nora is referred to as a "city" for historical reasons. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as...

, Fagersta

Fagersta

Fagersta is a locality and the seat of Fagersta Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden, with 10,890 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :The city is located at the junction of two railways between Ludvika-Västerås and Avesta -Örebro, in the heart of the historic Bergslagen region which is rich in...

, Sala

Sala, Sweden

Sala is a locality and the seat of Sala Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 12,059 inhabitants in 2005.- History :The small town is best known for its historical silver mine, which dates back to at least Medieval times, and was in operation until 1908...

, Kristinehamn

Kristinehamn

Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 17,836 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern...

, Filipstad

Filipstad

Filipstad is a locality and the seat of Filipstad Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 6,177 inhabitants in 2005.Filipstad was granted city privileges in 1611 by Charles IX of Sweden, who named it after his son Duke Carl Philip .After a major fire destroyed forest and town in 1694, Filipstad...

, Ludvika

Ludvika

Ludvika is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 14,018 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacken Municipality, where about 400 inhabitants live....

 and Hedemora

Hedemora

Hedemora is the oldest locality in Dalarna County and the seat of Hedemora Municipality, Sweden, with 15,164 inhabitants in 2011.Despite its small population, Hedemora is for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city...

. Also parts of northern Östergötland

Östergötland

Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...

, around Finspång

Finspång

Finspång is a locality and the seat of Finspång Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 12,415 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:Finspång is a traditional industrial town. The first industries were established in 1580 when a Royal factory for cannon and cannon balls was chartered. The industry...

, as well as southern Närke

Närke

' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwest, and Värmland to the northwest...

 can be included, then often referring to South Bergslagen. A wider definition of the area can include parts of Gästrikland

Gästrikland

' is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Uppland, Västmanland, Dalarna, Hälsingland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Gästrikland is the southernmost of the Norrland provinces....

 (Hofors

Hofors

Hofors is a locality and the seat of Hofors Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 7,021 inhabitants in 2005.-Districts:*Born *Böle*Bönhusberget*Centrum*Göklund*Hammaren*Lillån*Muntebo*Rönningen*Silverdalen*Standarn...

) and Uppland

Uppland

Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...

 (the former iron manufacturing district centred around Dannemora

Dannemora, Sweden

Dannemora is an old mining town and a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 238 inhabitants in 2005.-Dannemora mine:...

) as well.

History

The conflict of interests between iron exports from Bergslagen and territorial conflicts at Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

's southern border was a chief reason behind the Engelbrekt rebellion

Engelbrekt rebellion

The Engelbrekt rebellion was a rebellion in 1434-1436 led by Swedish nobleman Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson against Eric of Pomerania, the king of the Kalmar Union...

 in 1434 and the following strifes that ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Kalmar Union

Kalmar Union

The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...

 in 1523.

The region was an industrial powerhouse from the 17th century, up to the Steel crisis

Steel crisis

The steel crisis was a recession in the global steel market during the 1970s recession, following the end of the post-World War II economic boom and the 1973 oil crisis....

 during the 1970s

1970s

File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

.

Minerals and mining

The area is very rich in minerals. Mining has been focused on iron ore for centuries but other ores has been mined as well. Most mines are now closed, but in the 1970s many mines were still in operation. The earliest signs of iron making dates back to 400 BC while industrial scale activities dates back to the 17th century.

At Långban, where iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 and manganese

Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...

 has been mined, 270 mineral species has been reported to date. Many of these minerals are unique to the Långban deposit, and 67 minerals were first found at this site.

See also

• :Category:Mountain Districts of Bergslagen
• Falu red
  Falu red
  Falu red or Falun red is the name of a Swedish, deep red paint well known for its use on wooden cottages and barns. The paint originated from the copper mine at Falun in Dalarna, Sweden. The traditional colour remains popular today due to its effectiveness in preserving wood. In Finland, it is...
  
  
• Roslagen
  Roslagen
  Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago....
  
  
• Mälaren Valley
  Mälaren Valley
  The Mälaren Valley , occasionally referred to as Stockholm-Mälaren Region , is the easternmost part of Svealand, the catchment area of Lake Mälaren and the surrounding municipalities...
  
  

External links

• Ecomuseum Bergslagen - Official site
• Långban and its minerals