Tillbaka

Hagelrums furnance

Hagelsrum’s furnace from 1853 is the only one preserved in Kalmar county. The furnace was also the first industrial facility established in Hultsfred municipality.  The furnace was used to make pig iron, which was transported to Rosenfors mill – where it was used to make machines, tools and cast iron products. The raw material was ore from the lakes in the area. Large amounts of charcoal and firewood were also needed. Hagelsrum’s furnace is part of a contiguous ”factory kingdom” in northeastern Småland and southern Östergötland. The mill environment includes a mill, a miller’s residence, several workers’ residences and an inspector’s residence, called “Vita Havet”.

The history of Hagelsrum farm is connected with the history of the furnace and the mill. They have usually had the same owner. The farm, which belonged to the aristocracy, dates back to the Middle Ages. The lush grounds along the river “Silverån” have been used as pasture for a very long time. In the middle of the 20th century, the farm had over 100 dairy cows, and in the 1970s over 600. This tradition is very much alive today, and is applied in an innovative way with a modern biogas plant that makes use of the farm’s manure.