Lilla Essingen is a small

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in central

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. It is on Lake Mälaren next to the larger neighbouring island of Stora Essingen. Both Essingen Islands (''Essingeöarna'') are mainly residential areas, the smaller densely packed with apartment buildings while the larger is scattered with private houses and, to a lesser extent, apartment buildings. The

Essingeleden Essingeleden is a motorway that goes from Solna to Stockholm, Sweden, crossing the westmost parts of central Stockholm, by going over Kungsholmen, Lilla Essingen, and Stora Essingen. Essingeleden has three bridges – Fredhällsbron (270 m), ...

motorway, part of the

European route The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Central ...

s E4 and E20, passing over both islands is named after them. Bus route 1 ( Stora Essingen - Frihamnen) stops at two places on Lilla Essingen, providing transport to central parts of town and connections to the underground network. Bus route 56 stops at four places, connecting the Essinge islands with Fridhemsplan and Hornsberg. Bridges of Lilla Essingen: Essingebroar 2008

* From Kungsholmen: ** Mariebergsbron ** Fredhällsbron (part of the

motorway.) * From Stora Essingen ** Essingebron (two bridges, one part of Essingeleden.)

History

Lilla Essingen lies at the edge of what is generally considered central Stockholm, wedged in between Kungsholmen and the outer suburbs. Most of the island was initially an industrial area; at the time, most industrial transport was waterbound and thus the coastal plots were usually rimmed with industries. In 1908, the manufacturing facilities of Lux, a company manufacturing lamps for lighthouses, were moved to Lilla Essingen. The initial complex was composed of a workshop and an office building, the latter still present at the edge of the newly built flats. In 1912, the manufacturing was extended to include vacuum cleaners thanks to a contract with

Axel Wenner-Gren Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren (5 June 1881 – 24 November 1961) was a Swedish entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world during the 1930s. Early life He was born on 5 June 1881 in Uddevalla, a town on the west coast of Sweden. He ...

. In 1919, the company was merged with AB Elektro-Mekaniska, creating today's Electrolux.Elisabet Wannberg, "Electrolux - Ett Förlorat Industriarv?" (Electrolux - A Lost Industrial Heritage?) The facilities built on Lilla Essingen kept growing, and when the main workshop was destroyed by fire in 1936, the renovation included much expansion. Much ground was filled up on the edge of the water to allow for more construction. Much of Electroluxs main production facilities in Sweden was composed of the factory on Lilla Essingen. Almost the entire complex dating from the late 1930s was built in the by then modern architecture composed of much red brick. A few of those facades are still present, incorporated in the modern architecture of today. In the 1990s, Electrolux stirred quite a bit of a debate when it filed a request to rebuild many its industrial areas. Considering the immense changes in mechanics and industry since the 1940s, the workshops were obviously outdated. The Stockholm City Museum, however, had a special interest in the facilities on Lilla Essingen and required certain insight into the renovation of the area. At this point, Electrolux decided to completely remove its operations on the island and the facilities were bought by the estate development company JM, with the intent to construct apartment blocks.

References

External links

Maps and aerial photos
{{coord, 59, 19, 30, N, 18, 00, 15, E, region:SE-AB_type:isle, display=title Islands of Stockholm City districts of Stockholm Municipality Islands of Mälaren Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Sweden