The Rademachersmedjorna is one of Sweden's best-preserved 17th-century environments and here are Eskilstuna's oldest preserved buildings. The area is unique in many ways. Partly because it is a preserved environment from the working class, and partly because the houses have been allowed to remain in the same place where they were once built. For 360 years, the forges have been used for various types of crafts.
The first forges were completed in 1659 and formed part of Carl Gustaf's Stad's ironworks, built and named after King Karl X Gustav. The factory in Eskilstuna was Sweden's first blacksmith factory. The business was state-owned and had exclusive rights to the manufacture of a wide range of forged products. Scissors, awls, knives, locks, veining irons, gun barrels, fittings and much more were manufactured here.
In every blacksmith household, in addition to the master blacksmith and his family, there were also journeymen and apprentices. Two households lived in each forge. This meant that it could get quite crowded in the homes. Working in the forge was dirty and sometimes hot, sometimes very cold. Of the blacksmith families who came to Eskilstuna together with Rademacher, about half were immigrants, mainly from Germany. Since the manufactory was state owned, the blacksmiths did not own their tools or the products they made. All goods were handed in to the superintendent. It was determined how much each blacksmith would make each week to receive his wages. However, many sold their goods on the side, secretly.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the manufactory passed into private ownership. In 1771, the area became part of Eskilstuna Fristad, where blacksmiths were allowed to run businesses without guild compulsion and customs fees. The name alludes to the idea of a sanctuary for blacksmiths and arose as a reaction to the lack of business freedom that prevailed in Sweden and to the fact that the manufactories were unprofitable. During the latter part of the 19th century, the remaining forges were used as premises for some of Eskilstuna's many rapidly growing industries. The small, individual companies were merged into larger workshops.
Of the original 20 forges, six remain today. In addition to the forges from the 17th century, there are some houses in the area that were built or moved to the site later. In 1906, Eskilstuna's first museum opened in one of the forges. In 1959, as part of the city's 300th anniversary, the remaining forges were turned into a cultural reserve where history and tradition are kept alive. Traditional crafts are still performed here today by self-employed people and associations.
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