Riddarhyttan
Encyclopedia
Riddarhyttan is a locality in Skinnskatteberg Municipality
, Västmanland County
, Sweden
with 500 inhabitants in 2005. It has an old iron
mining tradition, which can be followed back to the last centuries before Christ, the last mine was closed down in 1979.
, one of only two urban areas or localities (more than 200 inhabitants) in the Skinnskatteberg Municipality
in the western part of Västmanland County
, on the border to Örebro County
. It is located in the north of the historical province of Västmanland
. The area of the locality, as defined by Statistics Sweden, is 1.5677 km2.
The Swedish national road 68
is running through Riddarhyttan and the lake Lien is located next to it. It lies in the middle of the historically mining district Bergslagen
. It is about 30 km to Fagersta
, 35 km to Lindesberg
and 70 km to Västerås
.
When the last ice age in Bergslagen came to an end about 9500 years ago, Riddarhyttan was located on the border between land and sea. That resulted in kettles, glacial erratic
s and other specific landforms. When the ice was melting, iron was released from the bedrock into the groundwater and became exposed iron oxide (ochre). That gave rise to a red-colour soil in some parts of Riddarhyttan, especially in the area called Röda Jorden (red earth).
region. Remains of several primitive blast furnace
s have been found and the age have been established by carbon dating
. The iron-making was carried on until about the birth of Christ.
The locality Riddarhyttan dates back to the Middle Ages
. Hälsingegruvan and Munkhyttan was mentioned as early as 1420. It was the State that first commenced mining in the area but private persons, or Bergsmän, were granted to use the mines later on. In 1611, Thomas Hammarsmed was granted the right to erect a forge and an iron blast-furnace.
Skinnskatteberg Municipality
Skinnskatteberg Municipality is a municipality in Västmanland County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Skinnskatteberg....
, Västmanland County
Västmanland County
Västmanland County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders to the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala...
, 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....
with 500 inhabitants in 2005. It has an old 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...
mining tradition, which can be followed back to the last centuries before Christ, the last mine was closed down in 1979.
Geography and geology
Riddarhyttan is, along with SkinnskattebergSkinnskatteberg
Skinnskatteberg is a locality and the seat of Skinnskatteberg Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 2,395 inhabitants in 2005.-External links:* - Official site...
, one of only two urban areas or localities (more than 200 inhabitants) in the Skinnskatteberg Municipality
Skinnskatteberg Municipality
Skinnskatteberg Municipality is a municipality in Västmanland County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Skinnskatteberg....
in the western part of Västmanland County
Västmanland County
Västmanland County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders to the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala...
, on the border to Örebro County
Örebro County
Örebro County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland.- Province :...
. It is located in the north of the historical province 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 :...
. The area of the locality, as defined by Statistics Sweden, is 1.5677 km2.
The Swedish national road 68
Swedish national road 68
Swedish national road 68 , is a Swedish national road between Örebro in Örebro Municipality and Gävle in Gävle Municipality. The length of the road is 230 km. The road is important for long-distance driving, and is part of the most used route between Gothenburg and the coast of northern Sweden....
is running through Riddarhyttan and the lake Lien is located next to it. It lies in the middle of the historically mining district Bergslagen
Bergslagen
Bergslagen is a historically, culturally, and linguistically distinct mining district located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden. In Bergslagen mining and metallurgic industry have been important since the Middle Ages...
. It is about 30 km to 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...
, 35 km to Lindesberg
Lindesberg
Lindesberg is a locality and the seat of Lindesberg Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 8,752 inhabitants in 2005.- History :Lindesberg has centuries old history, being the center of an old mining district. The earliest known traces of a town are in the foundations of the 14th century stone...
and 70 km to Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
.
When the last ice age in Bergslagen came to an end about 9500 years ago, Riddarhyttan was located on the border between land and sea. That resulted in kettles, glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
s and other specific landforms. When the ice was melting, iron was released from the bedrock into the groundwater and became exposed iron oxide (ochre). That gave rise to a red-colour soil in some parts of Riddarhyttan, especially in the area called Röda Jorden (red earth).
History
People started to extract iron from the red earth in the Riddarhyttan area sometime between 700 BC and 400 BC, which makes it the oldest area with ironworks in the BergslagenBergslagen
Bergslagen is a historically, culturally, and linguistically distinct mining district located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden. In Bergslagen mining and metallurgic industry have been important since the Middle Ages...
region. Remains of several primitive blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s have been found and the age have been established by carbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
. The iron-making was carried on until about the birth of Christ.
The locality Riddarhyttan dates back to 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...
. Hälsingegruvan and Munkhyttan was mentioned as early as 1420. It was the State that first commenced mining in the area but private persons, or Bergsmän, were granted to use the mines later on. In 1611, Thomas Hammarsmed was granted the right to erect a forge and an iron blast-furnace.
External links
- riddarhyttan.nu
- Images of Källfallet, Bäckegruvan and Bastnäs by Jakob Ehrensvärd