Ortala ironworks

A crown ironworks dating back to 1586

Ortala ironworks was established in 1586 as a crown ironworks – that is, owned and run by the state – in Väddö parish in northern Roslagen. Ore was obtained, among other places, from the Kuggvass mine in Herräng, and water power was provided by Lake Bornan west of the works. The location was strategically chosen to combine raw materials, an energy source and transport possibilities towards the coast.

In 1626 the works was leased to Heinrich Lemmens, who also managed the Norrtälje rifle factory and Skebo ironworks. It was Lemmens who introduced Walloon forging at Ortala – a method he had brought with him from the Walloon iron tradition – and had a stone blast furnace and forges built. The Walloon forging method, with its two hearths, produced iron of markedly higher quality and laid the foundation for the works' success during the second half of the 1600s.

Russian fire and reconstruction

During the Russian raids of 1719, when the Russian fleet ravaged along the Swedish east coast, Ortala was burned down. It was a blow that struck many ironworks in Roslagen, but Ortala was rebuilt. The present manor building was erected in the 1730s and served as a residence for the works' owners and managers during the 1700s' most intensive production period.

During the 1860s the works had two nail-hammer forges with four hearths and two finery hearths, a mill system and a water-powered sawmill. In 1789 the monumental charcoal house was erected, signed with the architect C. Arfwedson's initials. The charcoal house rose as one of the most impressive in Roslagen's ironworks localities and is still one of the works' most striking buildings.

The English park and the legacy

Next to the manor, in the later part of the 1700s, an English park was laid out in the naturalistic garden style that was in fashion among the manor owners of the time. The park, with winding paths, old trees and open grassy areas overlooking the former works, gives the place a distinctive atmosphere of bygone times.

Iron handling at Ortala ceased at the end of the 1870s. What remains is the manor building, the impressive charcoal house, the remains of a blast furnace and forge row, and the ironworks village's well-preserved character. Ortala ironworks gives the visitor a direct connection with Roslagen's industrial history and the Walloon heritage that shaped the region.