Bosse - The story of iron and the people of southern Bergslagen

One of those who gladly shares his stories - and who knows this place inside and out - is Bo Hagefalk, or “Bosse in Mariedamm.”

Bosse has lived here for most of his life. He worked as a preschool teacher at the local school, all while being irresistibly drawn to history. “I like digging into old stories and seeing how things connect,” he says with a smile. And there is plenty to dig into here - quite literally.

The iron that built the village

At Trehörning’s blast furnace stands a remarkably well-preserved piece of industrial history. It was built in 1634 by local bergsmän - fifteen to twenty farmers who joined forces to produce iron. Later, the powerful Louis De Geer took over the furnace. In 1775, Johan Abraham Grill purchased Mariedamm and the Trehörning blast furnace. A shareholder in the East India Company, he imported everything from spices to Chinese porcelain and fabrics. He had the furnace renovated to make it more energy-efficient. His grandson, the metallurgist Andreas Grill, improved the quality of the iron by adding ore from Taberg in Småland - an impressive transport that crossed Lake Vättern on sailing barges.

Today, Trehörning is Sweden’s best-preserved mulltimmerhytta - a charcoal-insulated timber-and-stone blast furnace. With its stone base and timber superstructure filled with earth for insulation, it stands as a reminder of the craftsmanship once required to produce high-quality iron. The County Administrative Board maintains the buildings, while the village association tends the surrounding grounds. “It feels good to be part of that,” Bosse says. “It’s like tending both a memory and an identity.”

The English Park and the Grill family grave

Not far from the furnace once lay an English park - the sort that became fashionable among the wealthy in the late 18th century. Here one could stroll along dug-out canals, gaze out over Skeppsjön, and rest in the pleasure house that once stood on the grounds. Today, most of the forest has been harvested, but careful eyes will spot remnants: a stone foundation here, an old boundary pine there.

Between the village and the blast furnace lies the Grill family grave, where members of this powerful family have been laid to rest. It is a tranquil place, surrounded by history and by forests that have watched generations come and go.

Ancient finds and ancient people

The area around Mariedamm holds even older stories. In the soil, archaeologists found the Mariedamm bracteate - a small gold amulet from the 400s–700s, likely worn as a talisman. Perhaps dropped by a traveler, perhaps left after an assault. Who knows?

In the Solberga Nature Reserve, passed along the Mariedamm Trail, the land rises 180 meters above sea level - one of the first areas to emerge from the sea after the Ice Age. People have moved through here for longer than anyone can remember.

A living village life

But Mariedamm is not only history - it is also a lively community. About 150 people live here, and most of what happens is thanks to the village association. They maintain the hiking trails, the bathing area, the football field, and the camper spots by Mariedammsgården. In summer, the Kaffestugan opens, where locals serve coffee and homemade treats in the sunshine.

Every year, the traditional charcoal kiln is lit, just as in the old days. It becomes a full “charcoal-burning week,” with activities, storytelling, and of course - kolbullar, fried by the loyal charcoal-burning crew. “It always becomes a wonderful gathering point,” Bosse says. “It’s like the village breathes a little deeper then.”

Personal roots and dreams for the future

Bosse himself has deep roots in the area. His grandmother was born in a small croft in these forests, and according to family lore, her mother’s brothers discovered a silver deposit in the surrounding land. An old silver snuffbox, with a gold coin set into the lid, still bears witness to the find.

But even though Bosse often looks to the past, he also has many ideas for the future. Guided tours at Trehörning could be expanded to include tours of the English Park - showing the spring where the maids fetched drinking water for the manor household, the view from the old pleasure house site, and the enormous pine tree nearby.

Together with some friends, Bosse has also saved an old railway watchman’s cottage from demolition. “We’ve taken it apart piece by piece,” he explains. “One day we hope to put it up again by the blast furnace - as a piece of living history.”

When history becomes personal

Bosse especially remembers one guided tour he gave for just two people - a father and his ten-year-old son. “The son had asked for the tour as a birthday present,” he says, laughing. “He already knew so much about iron production that it almost felt like we were teaching each other. That’s the kind of thing that makes this fun.”

In Mariedamm, history isn’t something kept behind glass and ropes - it lives, it is told, and it is used. And just as the blast furnace once glowed in the night, there is still a glow burning here - for the place, for the people, and for the stories that shaped them.