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Björkborn Manor

Coordinates: 59°20′25″N 14°32′05″E / 59.34028°N 14.53464°E / 59.34028; 14.53464
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Björkborn Manor
Björkborns herrgård
Map
General information
TypeManor house
AddressBjörkbornsvägen 10
Town or cityKarlskoga
CountrySweden
Construction started19th century
Completed1810s
Known forAlfred Nobel
Website
Björkborn Manor

Björkborn Manor[a] (Swedish: Björkborns herrgård, Swedish pronunciation: [bjœːrkboːɳ])[check vowel length] is a manor house and the very last residence of Alfred Nobel in Sweden. The manor is located in Karlskoga Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden. The current-standing white-colored manor house was built in the 1810s, but the history of the property is older.

Björkborn Manor is the site of an Alfred Nobel museum. It had a role in the process of the creation of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Foundation.

Björkborn is located within a park-like garden, that is bordered by a river to the west and south, and by an industrial area to the north.

History

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First house on the site

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Established as an ironworks in 1639,[2] by Mårten Drost.[1] Crispin Flygge acquired the property in the 1670s, then passed it over to his widow, Sigrid Ekehielm. In 1703, Björkborn was acquired by Jakob Christiansson Robsahm.

The former-standing manor was built in the 17th century. It included a park-like garden, but which plants were grown is unknown.[3] The Björkborn Ironworks was wound down in 1901.[4][1]

The ironworks was powered by the surrounding waterfalls.[5]

Current-standing house

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Daguerreotype of Olof Philip Oxehufvud

The current manor was completed in 1814 with the purpose of serving as residence for the family who owned Björkborn Ironworks.[6] Robsahm's descendants resided at the property until the 19th century. After the Robsahm era was over, it was acquired by Olof Philip Oxehufvud.[7] In 1873, K.G. Oxehufvud sold the properties to the Bofors-Gullspång company.[1]

Few remains are preserved of the ironworks.[1]

Over the years, the manor has served as residence for members of various prominent Swedish families, e.g. the Robsahm, Geijer, Lagerhjelm, Mitander, Oxehufvud and Myhrman families.[8][1]

Alfred Nobel

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Bust of Alfred Nobel at Björkborn

During the summers of 1894–1896 Alfred Nobel lived in the manor house Björkborn. Even though he died in his villa in Sanremo, Italy and had a home in Paris, it was decided that his residence was at Björkborn in Karlskoga. This allowed Nobel’s will to be adjudicated in Karlskoga. The manor was included in the purchase when Alfred Nobel acquired Bofors-Gullspång in 1894.[9] The manor served as the very last residence of Alfred Nobel in Sweden.[10][11]

Before he had moved in, his nephew, Hjalmar Nobel, conducted a renovation of the building.[12]

The creation of the Nobel Foundation was led from Björkborn Manor by Ragnar Sohlman.[13]

A major part of Alfred Nobel’s private library is still preserved at this site.[14]

Museum (1970s to present day)

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Björkborn Manor

In 1978, the Nobel Museum opened at Björkborn.[15] The site hosts a science center, an exhibition on the Nobel Prize and an industry museum on the history of Bofors.[16] The site has around 10,000 annual visitors.[17]

The museum offers dramatized guided tours to the public.[18]

Conferences can also be hosted at this location.

Official visits

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In 1895, the then King of Sweden, Oscar II, visited Björkborn.[19]

The current King and Queen of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia, visited Björkborn Manor in 2013 during their official visit to Örebro County.[20]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The building is often referred to as "Alfred Nobel's Björkborn", its initial name was "Beckborn".[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Sagan om Bofors började vid Beckborn". Karlskoga Tidning Kuriren (in Swedish). 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  2. ^ Historiskt-geografiskt och statistiskt lexikon öfver Sverige (in Swedish). Stockholm. 1859. p. 197 – via Project Runeberg.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Björkborns herrgårdspark". karlskoga.se (in Swedish). Karlskoga Municipality. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  4. ^ Nyqvist, Lars-Gunnar (10 March 2018). "Björkborns bruk (Karlskoga)". Värmländsk industrihistoria (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  5. ^ Ring, Herman A. Sveriges industri - dess stormän och befrämjare (in Swedish). Stockholm: P. B. EKLUNDS FÖRLAG. p. 80 – via Project Runeberg.
  6. ^ "Björkborn Manor – Alfred Nobels Björkborn". nobelkarlskoga.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Gårdsposter - Svenska herrgårdar". www.svenskaherrgardar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Nordisk familjebok". runeberg.org (in Swedish). 1905. p. 892. Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via Project Runeberg.
  9. ^ Asarnoj, Nina (5 October 2017). "Herrgården som möjliggjorde Nobelpriset". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Björkborn Manor". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  11. ^ Kämpargård, Niklas (2019). Svemester: så reser du smart och hållbart i Sverige (in Swedish). Mima. ISBN 9789188845535.
  12. ^ "Alfred Nobels sista svenska hem restaureras". Nättidningen Svensk Historia (in Swedish). 8 August 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  13. ^ Carlsson-Lénart, Mats (30 December 2015). "Alfred Nobels testamente - Nobels hästar det sista triumfkortet". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Alfred Nobel's private library – Russian fiction". NobelPrize.org. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Nobelmuseets Vänner 20 år" (in Swedish). 21 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2022 – via Wayback Machine. 1978 invigdes Nobelmuseet på Björkborn
  16. ^ "Björkborns Herrgård - Besök Alfred Nobels hem i Karlskoga". Ulvsby herrgård (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  17. ^ Remmegård, Nicklas (1 July 2021). "Redo för högsäsong på Björkborn". mnytt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Upplev Alfred Nobels Björkborn". karlskoga.se (in Swedish). Karlskoga Municipality. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Konungens resa genom Vermland och Dal". Wermländingen (in Swedish). 25 September 1895. Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via Svenska dagstidningar.
  20. ^ "The King and Queen visit Örebro County - Sveriges Kungahus". www.kungahuset.se. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2020.

Further reading

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  • Arwidson, Sven (1982). Vattenhjulen vid Timsälven : brukshistoria från Bofors och Björkborn åren 1639-1917 (in Swedish).
  • Bande, Alf (1989). Bortglömt 350-årsjubileum. Björkborns bruk är äldre än Bofors Alf Bande (in Swedish).
  • Jungmarker, Sven (1995). Björkborns och Stråningstorps egendomar 1896 (in Swedish).
  • Persson, Ulf (2006). Bofors och Björkborn-ägare och ledning på 1600-talet (in Swedish).
  • Öman, Karin (1995). Alfred Nobels Björkborn (in Swedish). pp. 104–131. ISSN 0281-0964.
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