Soooo, 3 generations of Swedes were packed in the car & after an hours drive we rolled into Eskilstuna, as you can see it was a very typical Swedish summer day
Rademacher-area in Eskilstuna is were all the Swedish metal industru began in the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] Century.
And due to a bunch of smart people a lot of the original area has been kept pretty much the same way that it looked in the end of the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] Century.
Only two of the forges are still operational as forges, one is making all kinds of metal objects & one is an actual knifemaker. Then there is also a kids forge, were kids can actually try some hands on forging. Doesnt open until the real tourist season opens in July though.
The rest of the places are used as store-fronts & shops for various types of artisans, anything from candle-makers, sewing, woodcarving & what not.
I have been here a bunch of times before, but this time I made sure to take some pics.
What we didnt count was the fact that this very Saturday a lot of schools had their official graduation & all the celebration that comes with it & that meant that several of the places inside the Rademacher were closed, including both of the only still operating forges
So, sadly I didnt get to many indoor pics. But on the other hand, that gives me a good reason to go back soon again
Also, bear in mind that this was were it all started, as the industry grew & Eskilstunas reputation grew in the later half of the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] Century, most of the forges grew & lots of new ones popped up & almost all of them built new houses down by the river, also these houses are today used for various industrial companies, but they have been rebuilt & modernized & they really arent that exciting to begin with, just picture any old Western world heavy industrial area & you pretty much have it..
But, lets enter the Rademacher area
The first house you see is the original C.V Heljestrand forge.
Today a candle/sewing/knick-knack maker resides in there, a lovely woman, very knowledgeable about her shops glorious past.
Every year there is a couple of guys just like yourself who comes in here with hazy eyes, wanting to touch the forge & stuff she said.
The coal forge, that gave birth to so many fantastic blades are today used as a storage area
The building is, just like most of them, very small & I literally had to hunch down just to fit inside.
I was told that the ground floor was used for forging & the top floor was where the razors & scissors & other items were ground & finished.
This building housed a company famous for their high quality locks & other door accessories.
Today its remade into a play forge for kids. Unfortunately closed today.
Here is the original Pontus Holmberg forge, while Mr Holmberg never made razors, he is very well known in the knife collecting world as a maker of some of the finest knifes & daggers available from the early 1900s.
This little house was the home of a Master blacksmith & his family, he was mostly known for his excellent hinges.
But you nuts want razors
This house was the home Erik Anton Berg, Master razor maker & one of the most successful of all entreprenurs in Eskilstuna.
So that also makes it the house of the Original Honemeister.
Or shall I say HoneMeistress.
When starting out Mr Berg was really poor & couldnt afford any employees, so his wife took care of all the honing & packing inside their own kitchen.
It turned out she was so darn good at honing, sharpening & accessing the quality of an edge, that even way after the company had become a major player she still demanded to see & inspect each & every razor that left the factory.
Given that they sold hundreds of thousands of razors, youd be hard pressed to find anyone that has honed & checked more razors then Mrs Berg!
Here is the original E.A Berg forge, when E.A Berg outgrew the place incidentally a young, promising lad moved in instead, Johan Hellberg, who once he reached fame shortened his name to J.A Hellberg
Today there is an actual knife-maker residing there who makes some great knives.
He also runs a sharpening business in the same house.
Unfortunately it was closed today.
This guy has some serious pedigree; both his father & grandfather were Master grinders at the Heljestrand forge
From the other side:
Heres the other operational forge, also closed today but heres a sneak peak inside the window on the old furnace.
If you ever get a chance to go here, its well worth it, especially if you go on a day when everything is open
There really isnt much actual razor related things going on, but the evidence is everywhere of a once blooming cutlery industry.
And personally just walking around there, thinking about what was done & the superior craftsmen that once performed their magic there everyday is just fantastic.
Mr Rademacher himself & a little brief history:
Rademacher-area in Eskilstuna is were all the Swedish metal industru began in the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] Century.
And due to a bunch of smart people a lot of the original area has been kept pretty much the same way that it looked in the end of the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] Century.
Only two of the forges are still operational as forges, one is making all kinds of metal objects & one is an actual knifemaker. Then there is also a kids forge, were kids can actually try some hands on forging. Doesnt open until the real tourist season opens in July though.
The rest of the places are used as store-fronts & shops for various types of artisans, anything from candle-makers, sewing, woodcarving & what not.
I have been here a bunch of times before, but this time I made sure to take some pics.
What we didnt count was the fact that this very Saturday a lot of schools had their official graduation & all the celebration that comes with it & that meant that several of the places inside the Rademacher were closed, including both of the only still operating forges
So, sadly I didnt get to many indoor pics. But on the other hand, that gives me a good reason to go back soon again
Also, bear in mind that this was were it all started, as the industry grew & Eskilstunas reputation grew in the later half of the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] Century, most of the forges grew & lots of new ones popped up & almost all of them built new houses down by the river, also these houses are today used for various industrial companies, but they have been rebuilt & modernized & they really arent that exciting to begin with, just picture any old Western world heavy industrial area & you pretty much have it..
But, lets enter the Rademacher area
The first house you see is the original C.V Heljestrand forge.
Today a candle/sewing/knick-knack maker resides in there, a lovely woman, very knowledgeable about her shops glorious past.
Every year there is a couple of guys just like yourself who comes in here with hazy eyes, wanting to touch the forge & stuff she said.
The coal forge, that gave birth to so many fantastic blades are today used as a storage area
The building is, just like most of them, very small & I literally had to hunch down just to fit inside.
I was told that the ground floor was used for forging & the top floor was where the razors & scissors & other items were ground & finished.
This building housed a company famous for their high quality locks & other door accessories.
Today its remade into a play forge for kids. Unfortunately closed today.
Here is the original Pontus Holmberg forge, while Mr Holmberg never made razors, he is very well known in the knife collecting world as a maker of some of the finest knifes & daggers available from the early 1900s.
This little house was the home of a Master blacksmith & his family, he was mostly known for his excellent hinges.
But you nuts want razors
This house was the home Erik Anton Berg, Master razor maker & one of the most successful of all entreprenurs in Eskilstuna.
So that also makes it the house of the Original Honemeister.
Or shall I say HoneMeistress.
When starting out Mr Berg was really poor & couldnt afford any employees, so his wife took care of all the honing & packing inside their own kitchen.
It turned out she was so darn good at honing, sharpening & accessing the quality of an edge, that even way after the company had become a major player she still demanded to see & inspect each & every razor that left the factory.
Given that they sold hundreds of thousands of razors, youd be hard pressed to find anyone that has honed & checked more razors then Mrs Berg!
Here is the original E.A Berg forge, when E.A Berg outgrew the place incidentally a young, promising lad moved in instead, Johan Hellberg, who once he reached fame shortened his name to J.A Hellberg
Today there is an actual knife-maker residing there who makes some great knives.
He also runs a sharpening business in the same house.
Unfortunately it was closed today.
This guy has some serious pedigree; both his father & grandfather were Master grinders at the Heljestrand forge
From the other side:
Heres the other operational forge, also closed today but heres a sneak peak inside the window on the old furnace.
If you ever get a chance to go here, its well worth it, especially if you go on a day when everything is open
There really isnt much actual razor related things going on, but the evidence is everywhere of a once blooming cutlery industry.
And personally just walking around there, thinking about what was done & the superior craftsmen that once performed their magic there everyday is just fantastic.
Mr Rademacher himself & a little brief history:
