A living museum
The old blacksmith community in the town of Eskilstuna, (City of Steel), is named after the Dutch industrialist Reinhold Rademacher, who arrived in town in the late 17th century at the urging of King Karl X Gustav. His plans involved some 120 forges, the first of which started operating in 1659 as part of the local ironworks industry. Although only 20 forges were built, and the living conditions were rough, the community attracted many skilled workers from around Sweden and abroad.
For 350 years, the workshops of Eskilstuna manufactured knives, nails, needles, locks, hinges, tools and other essential items. The first museum opened here in 1906 and has since expanded into a lively open-air museum, giving visitors a glimpse of traditional blacksmiths in action.
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