Between two lakes just north of Filipstad is one of Sweden's best preserved mining environments, with a rare mineral richness and more than 400 years of industrial history. The story is seated between mines and foundry, mining pits, monumental piles of waste rock and in John Ericssongården's lush garden at the shore of Hyttsjön. Welcome to the mining district Bergslagen in Värmland!
In 1525 the first furnace was built in Långban. In this building there is both a blast furnace and a roast furnace in which the ore was processed under high temperatures and with hard body work. The ore and wood were fired in layers to make the ore more porous and easier to cut into smaller pieces.
After the roast furnace, the ore was loaded into wheelbarrows and brought to an ore crusher, which broke the ore into smaller pieces. The crushed ore was laid in carts, also called ore dogs, and transported up to the blast furnace wreath. There they were blended with ore, charcoal and lime.
When the iron was finished processing, pig iron was made from it. The residues left are called slag and were used as building blocks. These can be seen almost everywhere in Långban.