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Founded: 15th centuryCategory: Miscellaneous historic sites in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)
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The Dannemora mine was one of the most important iron ore mines in Sweden. The mine was closed by its owners SSAB in 1992. It may have been open since the 13th century, but the first documentary reference was in 1481.
The mine supplied all the ironworks making oregrounds iron by the Walloon process (using a blast furnace and finery forge), such as Österby and Lövsta. Their products were particularly pure iron, due the manganese content of the iron ore. This made it the best material for conversion to blister steel, the main variety of steel made in Great Britain between the 1610s and the 1850s. The mine has a depth of 640 metres.
Today the area is both a historic site and mining technology museum. There are a souvenir shop, a craftshop, an atique store and a mineral museum. Visitors may stroll along the various open cast mines, the pits have vertical walls and look pretty impressive. There are some 50 open cast mines, fantastic abysses made the mine field a popular attraction for painters, writers and royalty from many countries during the 19th century. Carl von Linné visited the mines, and there are numerous historic paintings, in oil and copper engravings.
Storrymmningen is the longest open cast mine in th field, more than 200m long and 100m deep. It is visited on guided tours, which then enter the underground mine and show the main shaft going down to the 620m level. The tour ends at a small mchine house nearby, which contains the first steam engine of Sweden, which was used between 1728 and 1735 to power the water pumps of the mine.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.