AB Motala Verkstad is one of the oldest engineering companies in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. The company was founded in 1822 during the construction of

Göta Canal The Göta Canal ( sv, Göta kanal) is a Swedish canal constructed in the early 19th century. The canal is long, of which were dug or blasted, with a width varying between and a maximum depth of about .Uno Svedin, Britt Hägerhäll Anians ...

. Motala Verkstad has also built about 400 ships, 800 bridges (e.g.

Västerbron () is an arch bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. With a total length exceeding 600 m, 340 m of which stretches over water, it is one of the major bridges in Stockholm, offering one of the most panoramic views of the central part of the city cent ...

Skeppsholmsbron Skeppsholmsbron ( Swedish: "The Skeppsholm Bridge") is in central Stockholm, Sweden, connecting Blasieholmen to Skeppsholmen. The bridge, 165 metres long and 9.5 metres wide, consists of a 5.5 metre wide roadway flanked by 2 metre pathways, and ...

, Bergsnäsbron and the

Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...

Bridge in Iran), railway equipment, 1300

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

s. The 118-meter-tall towers of

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...

were also built by Motala Verkstad. During the 1970s the company was the world's largest exporter of kitchen sinks and during the 1980s they built landing gear for Swedish-built aircraft. Today the company employs about 180 people.

History

Motala Verkstad was started in 1822 on Baltzar von Platen's initiative. Von Platen realized the importance of having local technical knowledge during the construction of the channel. The first leader was Daniel Fraser.

Ships built at Motala Verkstad

* ''Hildur''-class monitors (1870s) * M/S ''Juno'' (1874) * SS ''Nya Svartsjölandet'' (1900, now MV ''Västan'') * SS ''Angantyr'' (1909) * SS ''Valkyrian'' (1909, now SS ''Drottningholm'')

In literature

In the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novel ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre- ...

'' by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

, the

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

of the

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

Nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in ...

'' is said to have been built at Motala Verkstad.

References and notes

External links

Motala Verkstad
{{Authority control Engineering companies of Sweden Motala Swedish companies established in 1822 Manufacturing companies established in 1822 Companies based in Östergötland County