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Founded: 1545Category: Industrial sites in Sweden
Historical period: Early Vasa Era (Sweden)
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The Vattholma ironworks is one of the oldest in Sweden. Smelters are believed to have been active here back as far as the 15th century. Wattholma operated under the Crown until the end of the 16th century. Walloon forging was introduced during the 1600s and was used until the 1870s, when it was replaced by the Lancashire method. Wattholma also featured a blast furnace that was moved in 1758. Bar iron production ceased in 1905, but manufactory smithing and foundry operations continued.
The works were sold in 1939 to a fire appliance store in Stockholm. Housing was added in the 18th and 19th centuries. The old inn with its walled courtyard is found here, along with a storehouse and school. On the opposite side of Fyrisån River is the manorhouse, with its main structure from 1812 and annex from the 1700s. Most of the old buildings were demolished in the early 1970s and replaced with modern residences that resemble the originals.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.
