Smedjebacken: Mining History, Forest and Water

Malingsbo Herrgård, a Carolingian manor house on a hill between Lake Malungen and the Hedströmmen River, is located in Smedjebacken Municipality. Traces of the iron industry, a canal with locks, hiking trails, art offerings and places by the water offer further insights into the region’s history and landscape. For your stay, you can bring together cultural and nature-related activities according to your interests.

Experience mining and industrial history

Malingsbo Herrgård is a well-preserved manor house in the Carolingian style and an example of the manor-house architecture of its time. Its history is also connected to the mining that shaped the region. In 1935, the manor house was designated a listed building. Iron ore has been mined at Flogberget since the 16th century; Flogbergets gruva offers guided tours. Stollberg also has a long mining history: the silver mine is mentioned in a charter issued by King Magnus Eriksson in 1354.

Industrial history can also be explored along the Schisshyttans vandringsled. The four-kilometre hiking trail follows traces of the iron industry from the 17th century onward. Along the trail are remains of forges, smaller steelworks, workers’ housing, dams and blast furnaces. The trail thus combines a specific hiking route with insights into various parts of the former industrial sites. At the harbour in Smedjebacken, a preserved locomotive depot has served as an exhibition venue since summer 2016, primarily for industrial and cultural history exhibitions.

Hiking trails and landscapes

Malingsbo-Kloten is a large, hilly coniferous forest area with several hiking trails. You can hike, paddle and fish there. In the Jätturn Nature Reserve, hiking trails pass through forests, over rocky hills and meadows, and along lakes. A circular trail, partly laid with boardwalks, runs for just over one kilometre around the lake. At Jätturn, visitors can also hire a boat, row across the lake and enter the cave.

The route lengths offer a practical guide for planning your hikes: the circular trail at Jätturn is just over one kilometre long, the Schisshyttans vandringsled is four kilometres long, and the Milslingan is 10.5 kilometres long. The latter runs in and around the town of Smedjebacken. For a much longer hike, the 42-kilometre Sméleden leads northeast from Björsjö through the municipality to Jätturn and Lake Tunsan. The Malingsbo-Klotenleden is approximately 45 kilometres long.

Canal, harbour and waterways

The Strömsholms Canal was built between 1772 and 1795, mainly to transport bar iron from Bergslagen to Lake Mälaren. The route, which is around 100 kilometres long, has a total of 26 locks. Together, they raise or lower boats by around 100 metres. Today, the canal is also used for tourism. The harbour in Smedjebacken marks the start of the canal system and lies 100 metres above sea level, making it one of the highest harbours in Sweden. Canoes and rowing boats are available for hire in the harbour area.

Art and local history

In the centre of Smedjebacken, Konsthall Meken focuses on contemporary art, design and crafts. In addition to exhibitions, its programme includes workshops and other cultural experiences. The Kulturstråket along Kyrkogatan passes older houses, meeting places and art galleries connected with contemporary art and cultural history. Historically, Kyrkogatan linked Smidies-backen, the harbour and the church village. This led to dense development, with shops, homes, a fire station, industrial buildings belonging to Smedjebackens valsverk, and railway and harbour buildings.

Söderbärke also offers insights into local history. Baggströmska gården, within Söderbärke hembygdsgård, is an original miner’s homestead preserved in its original location in the church village by Lake Barken. The hembygdsgård also has a seasonal summer café in its bakery and brewery building. Its collections include the Paul Eriksson Museum in the former parish administration building. Norrbärke hembygdsgård is located in a cultural area with some of the few surviving buildings of the village, which was badly devastated by a fire in 1717. A visit to Johan Ahlbäck’s studio at Vasagatan 18 must be arranged in advance. In summer, a guided tour of the public artworks in Smedjebacken Municipality can be booked.

Discover more destinations

Söderbärke, Smedjebacken, Ludvika, Avesta, Dala-Husby, Boda Kyrkby, Gagnef, Rättvik

To the main travel overview: Dalarna County.