Forsmarks bruk i Roslagen - vallonbruk med lång historia

Writer: Helena Bergström

Forsmark's mill in Roslagen is one of the many beautiful Walloon mills in the area. Iron was once produced here, and in the 17th century the Walloons came from Belgium to improve production. Today the mill is a great place to visit with historic buildings, an English park, a restaurant and a café.

Table of contents

Forsmark's mill

When you hear the word 'Forsmark', you may first think of the nuclear power plant, which is located nearby and operated by the same owner, Forsmarks Kraftgrupp. At Forsmark Mill, however, nothing reminds you of high-tech nuclear power. On the contrary, it is surrounded by history and beautiful nature. We made a visit with the motorhome and had a really nice day.

The area is fantastically beautiful, with mirrored lakes and historic buildings. Perhaps we were especially charmed by the beautiful weather, and we highly recommend a visit here on a nice day.

Forsmark Mill is located on the Uppland coast, about one hour south of Gävle and about two hours north of Stockholm.

Walloon mills - ironworks improved with the help of Walloons

It is not known exactly when iron production started in Forsmark, but it is believed that farmers in the area were already producing iron in the 15th century. It is known with certainty that Forsmark's mill was established by the Crown in 1570.

In 1626, the Walloons came to Forsmark, bringing with them new knowledge and new methods that increased production and improved quality.

In 1719, the entire mill was burned by the Russians during the so-called 'Russian Raids', but the mill was rebuilt.

Forsmark Mill - with housing, schools and a church

It is beautiful to walk along the old mill street up to the church. Here you will find the old blacksmith's houses from the 18th century and the two schools, Charlotta's school and Teresa's school.

The new church in Forsmark was built between 1794 and 1800 in the late Gustavian style. The builder was Samuel af Ugglas.

Old mansion and bell tower

The old manor house at Forsmark was completed in 1765, but it was not as grand as the neighbouring farms. It was therefore not long before a new manor house was completed.

The new mansion at Forsmark Mill

The new mansion was built in 1767-1774 to the designs of court architect Jean Eric Rehn. The mansion was used by the af Ugglas family until 1980, after which it was used for the representation of Kraftbolaget.

English Park

The English Park at Forsmark Mill was designed by Samuel af Ugglas in 1800. We like English parks and this one was exceptionally nice, with trees, flowers, bridges and surprises, as it should be in an English park.

The English Park at Forsmark Mill includes the Hermit's hut, the Temple of Belisar, the Temple of Mirrors, the statue of Minerva and the aviary (birdhouse). It is really great to walk around here!

Lunch at Forsmark's Wärdshus

We ended our visit to Forsmark Mill with a lunch at the inn, and we couldn't ask for a better ending. The inn is beautifully situated by one of the lakes, and we could sit outside in the glorious spring weather.

For today's lunch we had to pay 100 SEK each, which was very affordable considering that the food was well prepared and that it included bread, salad, drinks, coffee and cake, and a wonderful environment.

Where can you stay with your campervan?

If you are travelling by motorhome, there are nice places where you can stay along the coast. This time we stayed at the parking lot in Gudinge harbour, where we stood fantastically beautiful and peaceful. Here we paid 120 SEK for a place with electricity, but with limited service in general. Another option is to visit Ängskärs havscamping.

READ MORE: Ängskär seaside campsite in Uppland - and three pitcheshe

See more in the neighbourhood

In the vicinity of the Forsmark mill, there are more Vallon mills, such as Lövstabruk and Österbybruk. It is also not far from the beautiful and interesting Salsta Castle. There are also other great destinations on the east coast, such as Öregrund, Grisslehamn and Ängskärs havscamping.

Facts about Forsmark Mill

Address: Forsmarks Bruk 20, Östhammar
Municipality: Östhammar municipality
County: Uppsala County
Landscape: Uppland
Owners: Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB
Read more: You can find more information on Visit Forsmark's website.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: See the Visit Forsmark website for up-to-date information on opening hours.
Food service: Forsmarks Wärdshus serves lunch. Aunt Märta's Café serves light lunches and coffee.
Activities: In the summer, there is a factory museum, experimental workshop for children and guided bus tours (currently cancelled due to the coronavirus).

Finding Forsmark Mill

Car: The mill is located on road 76, which runs along the Uppland coast between Norrtälje and Älvkarleby.

The history of Forsmark Mill

15th century: The farmers in Forsmark were probably already making iron at this time.
1570: Forsmark Mill was established by the Crown. The ore came mainly from the Dannemora mine and it produced pig iron, bar iron and cannonballs.
1624: The mill was leased to Gerard de Besche and Peter Rochet.
1626: The poppies came to Forsmark, along with knowledge and new methods, which improved quality and increased production.
1646: The mill was sold to the tenants and later taken over by de Besche. At this time, iron was worth more per kilo than gold.

18th century to the present

1719: The mill was burned by the Russians during the so-called 'Russian ravages'. It was subsequently rebuilt.
1751: The mill was sold to Fran Jennings and Robert Finlay.
1762: Jennings became the sole owner and the mill was rebuilt with workers' housing along Bruksgatan.
1767-1774: The current main building was built.
1786: The Forsmark mill was bought by Samuel af Ugglas.
1800: The English Park was designed by Samuel af Ugglas.
19th century: In the latter part of the 19th century, iron processing in Sweden was modernised. New methods competed with craftsmen and small mills, such as Forsmark's mill.
1890s: Iron handling was phased out.

History of the nuclear power plant

1960s: A favourable attitude towards nuclear power prevailed.
1970s: In 1971 a licence was granted to build Forsmark's first 900 megawatt nuclear reactor. In 1973 Forsmark 2 was started and in 1976 Forsmark 3.
1980: Public opinion on nuclear power changed and a referendum was held, deciding to phase out nuclear power by 2010.
1980s: The three Forsmark reactors were commissioned. The decommissioning plans with a 2010 end date were cancelled.

All our top tips about Sweden! Click on the image

READ MORE: Campsites and pitches in Uppland
READ MORE: Things to do in Uppland - sights and experiences

6 Comments

Add yours →

Ditte says:

Forsmark's mill is really beautiful. Have been here several times and both Forsmark and the other mill towns in Uppland are nice to visit. We have occasionally stayed at Gimo mill and then made tours from there....
Söderfors is another fine mill town.
I have also visited the nuclear power plant in Forsmark a couple of times and been on a guided tour. Very interesting, but many years ago. Guess that now in panic times it is not relevant.
Thanks for the tour and great pictures that really do justice to the Forsmark mill.

20 May 2021 - 9:32

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you were here! We certainly agree that it's beautiful. We drive in this area sometimes, as Peter's mum lives nearby, so we'll try to see more of the mills. Interesting and nice environments! Interesting that you have also been to the nuclear power plant!
  
  20 May 2021 - 21:12
  
BP says:

It's so beautiful there! Oh what fantastic luck with the weather. The reflections in the "water pictures" are absolutely wonderful. Nice that the restaurant was open, so you could enjoy a lunch in the nice environment.

20 May 2021 - 20:19

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Isn't it? Glad you like the pictures. It was really grateful to take pictures, nice environment and fantastic weather 🙂.
  
  20 May 2021 - 21:13
  
Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Never been there and hardly heard of it.
Fantastic with these mill environments, having lived in one myself, but around a cotton industry and very different from this, but with some similarities.

21 May 2021 - 12:08

Lena - gott för själen says:

As a native of Sweden, I am of course familiar with the area, but have never actually been there. Wow, how nice it looked. Another destination to aim for sometime!

It is said that I have some unknown vallon in my family, like 4 or 5 generations back so it is not from the time when they started coming here. Exciting part of our Swedish history. Although it was certainly really tough to get pregnant during a not so organised life situation, if we put it that way. I guess it was like that anyway.

Hug Lena

24 May 2021 - 5:58

Forsmark's mill in Roslagen - a poppy mill with a long history

Writer: Helena Bergström

Forsmark's mill

Walloon mills - ironworks improved with the help of Walloons

Forsmark Mill - with housing, schools and a church

Old mansion and bell tower

The new mansion at Forsmark Mill

English Park

Lunch at Forsmark's Wärdshus

Where can you stay with your campervan?

See more in the neighbourhood

Facts about Forsmark Mill

Services and practical information

Finding Forsmark Mill

The history of Forsmark Mill

18th century to the present

History of the nuclear power plant

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6 Comments

Ditte says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Lena+i+Wales+och+Spanien says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

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