An hour or so drive north of Uppsala are a number of towns that used to be centers for the production of iron ore. According to the Wikipedia article on Oregrund, "Uppland underwent an industrial revolution in the 17th century, with the Swedish iron industry becoming the foundation of Sweden's status as a Great Power. Bar iron was exported through Öregrund. In England the best quality wrought iron was known as Oregrounds iron." The iron was forged according to a process developed in Walloonia, the predominantly French-speaking southern part of Belgium, and most of the Swedish iron-making towns were established and run by Walloons. Iron is no longer produced in these towns, but some are maintained as historic attractions. We visited three of them
(click to enlarge) "Forsmarks Bruk, Uppland, Sweden, is an authentic mill village of the late 18th century. Forsmarks Bruk, meaning the mill at Forsmark, was built as a model community, a self-contained and self-supporting world. The single street gives shape to the village, being lined with houses, blacksmiths' forges, schools, and stores, with the church situated at one end and the manor at the other. Thus, the village reflects the outer world in a miniature scale."
http://www.jrank.org/gardening/pages/605/Forsmarks-Bruk.html#ixzz0ZJbWQdO9
(click to enlarge) A statue of Neptune stands guard over the pond at Forsmarks Bruk.
