Every place name hides a story. This is an account of what happened. Read and learn. And come and visit!
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When the sawmills began to develop along the great Ångermanälven riverbanks many sought work in Kramfors. The population grew rapidly. At some point everyone visited the fun temple and temperance fort Babel Mountain.
Kramfors municipality covers a vast area and contains a wide range of geological and cultural attractions. Ancient remains, medieval churches and old fishing places relate an exciting history amid grandiose scenery.
The area has been inhabited for thousands of years – first by nomadic hunters, later by farmers and fishermen. Many small ironworks formed in the 18th century, while the mid-19th century witnessed the growth of the sawmill industry. The first sawmill was actually built in 1744, where Kramfors stands today. But the large scale timber industry, that has made the name Kramfors famous, only really started when the steam engine was introduced in Sweden. Ådalen’s industrial landscape then began to take form. Sawmill after sawmill established and small communities appeared. Timber that was felled far inland was floated on the great rivers down to the coastal sawmills. In the 20th century, sawmills gave way to pulp and paper mills.
Today, many of these mills are gone, but historical traces survive. All over the district you can find remains from the life and work of previous generations.
3 kramfors’ cultural heritage
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1. Babelsberg.
babelsberg. open during events. address Babelsbergsgatan. http://hem.passagen.se/babelsberg/
2. Ytterlännäs Church.
ytterlännäs kyrka. open all summer. www.svenskakyrkan.se 3. Styresholm. styresholm. 4. Norrfällsviken. norrfällsviken. 5. Höga Kusten.
naturum höga kusten. opening times vary, see website.
telephone 0613 – 700 200.
www.naturumhogakusten.se
6. Kramfors Library.
kramfors bibliotek. open Mon – Thurs 09.30 – 19,
Fri 09.30 – 17, Sat 11 – 15.
address Biblioteksgatan 8. telephone 0612 – 802 55. www.biblioteken.kramfors.se
7. Kramfors Art Gallery (6).
kramfors konsthall. open Mon – Thurs 09.30 – 19,
Fri 09.30 – 17, Sat 11 – 15.
address Biblioteksgatan 8. telephone 0612 – 802 52. www.kramfors.se
8. Kramfors Municipal Archives.
kramfors kommunarkiv. address Strandgatan 13 – 15. telephone 0612 – 803 83, 0612 – 800 00. www.kramfors.se 6. 7. 8. 1. Öd Ödsgård Björsta Jättesta Bromma Babelsberg Alaska Erikslund Jättesta Lims taga tan Johann esgata n Högstavägen Viktoriaga tan Ringv ägen Kung sgata n K y rk v ik svä gen B ab els be rgsv äg en Jä rn vä gs ga tan Söd ra Å da lsv äge n Jä tte staga tan Strandgatan Folkets park 90
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1. Babelsberg.
babelsberg. Life and work at the Ådalen
sawmill was frugal and harsh. Many fell captive to alcohol in a fruitless effort to relieve daily miseries. Between 1882 and 1922 over twenty temperance organisations were founded in Kramfors. One of these was iogt which began building a meeting hall, Babelsberg, at the end of the 19th century using funds collected by its members. It was to take 15 years before the premises stood ready. When inaugurated it became a very popular local centre where many spokespersons for the Swedish labour and temperance movement have given speeches.
Babelsberg is a protected building today and a reminder of the harsh conditions of the older working community in Kramfors. Entrance façade, scale 1:200.
2. Ytterlännäs Church.
ytterlännäs kyrka. Christianity has been
practiced in Sweden since 1000 ad. In the Middle Ages alone, 2,350 churches were built over the whole country. And more have been built since then – large and small, in towns and around the countryside.
There is a small medieval church in Ytterlännäs, approximately 10 km north of Kramfors. It is contemporary with the large Gothic cathedrals being built then in France.
800 years ago the people of Ytterlännäs collected
granite to build their church which has since been the central meeting place for countless generations of the local population. The church contains many old fittings and beautiful ceiling paintings illustrating scenes from the Bible. Sweden practices religious freedom and everyone is welcome to the old church at Ytterlännäs, regardless of faith or philosophy of life.
3. Styresholm.
styresholm. 14th century scandinavia
witnessed fierce struggles over the Swedish crown. This resulted in many defence works and forts. One of these was Styresholm beside what is now Prästmon. The fort was built in the late 14th century by the Vitalians, the sea pirates from northern Germany. At the end of the
14th century the fort was relinquished to Queen
Margareta and is today the northernmost bailiff fort which still preserves its original appearance. The remains now form spectacular grass-grown mounds on the bank of the great river Ånger-manälven.
kramfors’ cultural heritage kramfors’ cultural heritage
4. Norrfällsviken.
norrfällsviken. Kramfors municipality has
a long coastline with many old fishing hamlets to explore. For a long time fishing was important as a source of both food and income for the farmers who lived close to the sea. The fishing hamlet at Norrfällsviken is over 350 years old and includes buildings dating to the time when fishermen came here for herring. Today, Norrfällsviken with its characteristic red sea huts is mainly a popular holiday resort. A few professional fishermen still live here.
5. Höga Kusten.
naturum höga kusten. World Heritage site
Höga Kusten (the High Coast) is the world’s greatest geological uplift with the highest raised beach lying 286 metres above present sea-level. It offers beautiful views and magnificent natural scenery from pebble fields and steep coastal cliffs to wide bays and cosy bathing coves, excellent trekking trails and a Naturum with an exhibition explaining the uniqueness of the area. Skulesko-gen national park lies within Höga Kusten. World Heritage site Höga Kusten and Skuleskogen national park are both well sign-posted from the e4 between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik.
kramfors’ cultural heritage
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Omneberget.
6. Kramfors Library.
kramfors bibliotek. At the library in
Kramfors you will find books in many languages for adults and children, newspapers, language courses, films, audio books, music and computers linked up to the Internet. You need to obtain a library card from the staff at the library before you can borrow books, music and films free of charge. Bring your id documents when you apply. The library website allows you to search the shelves online and reserve books or renew your loan. If books in your language are not listed, the staff can borrow them from another library.
8. Kramfors Municipal
Archives.
kramfors kommunarkiv. Sweden has
independent municipalities, a system which dates back to 1862. All decisions, records and investigations from municipal activities are preserved and archived. According to the Swedish Access to Official Information Act these are all accessible to the public and everyone has the right to search information in the central municipal archives. The oldest records provide information about how society was governed more than a century ago.
The records in the central archives include, among other things, drawings of older buildings, plans for new housing areas, old class lists, and decisions concerning poor relief.
7. Kramfors
Art Gallery.
kramfors konsthall. Art exists to enjoy
and raise awareness. Art is also an important tool for airing vital social issues and existential subjects. Kramfors Art Gallery arranges over ten exhibitions annually. These can include painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, crafts, or different forms of installations. During the spring term the schools in Kramfors exhibit student work. You will find the Art Gallery at the town square.
kramfors’ cultural heritage kramfors’ cultural heritage
Lunde monument. From The Island by Birger Norman
and potato skins, lice and dish-water coffee, card games, a drink on Saturday
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Why is history important?
How long have people lived in Västernorrland? What did they live on? What sort of existence did they have? What important events affected the inhabitants? Just how old are the buildings and cultural environments that surround us? What can they tell us?Many questions can be answered by stud-ying remains from the past which can help us understand how people adapted to the varying conditions of life at different times and why society looks the way it does today. This is why it is important to take care of our cultural heritage. It is a vital source of knowledge about the past.
Why this brochure?
This brochure has been produced by the County Administrative Board in Västernorrland. County administrative boards are government authorities that exist in every county and work with issues that extend across the whole of society. An important area of concern is the protection of valuable buildings, churches and ancient remains, ensuring that significant aspects of society’s history are preserved and made accessible to the public.
There are several other bodies in Sweden that work with history and the cultural heritage. These include museums, archives and libraries. Through exhibitions, archival records and books they reveal the past, the ancient landscape and how people lived.
The aim of this brochure is to inform you about some of the places under the protection of the County Administrative Board. We have also chosen to include other places that are well worth a visit such as museums, libraries and archives.
Protection according
to the Heritage Act.
Listed buildings are those that are protected by law. They must be preserved with care and cannot be altered or demolished.
There are approximately 70 such buildings in Västernorrland. They have been chosen because they are excellent examples of historic architec-ture or were important to the history of society.
Churches are also protected by the Heritage Act which means that they must be preserved with care and cannot be altered or demolished without permission from the county admini-strative boards. No church built before 1940 may be changed or demolished, but even churches which were built after that may be protected. As Christianity was Sweden’s major religion for more than a thousand years, the Church has had a great influence on society. Church buildings are thus an important part of our cultural heritage.
Ancient remains are the traces of past human activity from all periods. These can include thousand-year old graves in the shape of stone cairns or large grass-covered earthen mounds, settlement sites, trapping pits for wild animals, paintings on rock faces, old mills, and much more.
There are no books from prehistoric times to relate how people lived in those ancient days. Therefore it is the ground under our feet which holds an archive full of information on past life. Ancient remains can provide much information which is hard to find otherwise. They too are protected from alteration or destruction by the Heritage Act.
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Some terms.
Since this brochure is aimed at everyone regardless of background, here is a brief explanation of some of the terms used:
Culture includes not only music, theatre and literature, but also the way people live and organise their existence and their society.
History is the study of human activity in previous times.
Cultural heritage refers to the traces left behind by previous generations, such as buildings, houses, objects and customs.
Cultural environment is a very broad term and refers to environments influenced by man, such as towns and agricultural landscapes. It is often used in a narrower sense to refer to a limited environment such as a manorial estate.
Norrland is the northernmost region of Sweden and includes Västernorrland. The southern region is called Götaland and the central region Svealand.
A county (län) is a geographical area delimited for public administration, for example,
Västernorrland. Sweden is divided into
21 counties.
A municipality (kommun) is a smaller geographical area with responsibility for a large portion of our social services such as schools, child care, geriatric care, planning of roads and waterways, and integration. Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities.
Translation is important since there are many people in our province who speak languages other than Swedish. In order to reach out to as many as possible with information about our history and cultural heritage we provide this brochure in Arabic, Persian, Swedish and Am-haric. Brochures in the same series about other municipalities in the province are also available in French, Russian, Somali and Spanish.
Örnsköldsvik Kramfors Härnösand Timrå Sundsvall Ånge Sollefteå
around you. All buildings, roads, fields and forest groves have something to relate. Every period had its events which affect our present surroundings.
Increased knowledge about our history leads to an increased understanding of the daily environment we live in with its mixture of old and new which makes our society exciting and interesting.
We present some places here that can help to explain the origin and growth of Kramfors; places which are well worth visiting today.
Länsstyrelsen i Västernorrland (Västernorrland County Administrative Board)
871 86 Härnösand. Phone 0611-34 90 00. www.lansstyrelsen.se/vasternorrland
Graphic form, production se idea ab. Text Mats Wigardt. Photo Samir Hussein/Björn Grankvist/Murberget – Västernorrland County Museum, Michael Engman, Kramfors kommun. Printing Lenanders Grafiska. September 2010.
