R1 was the first

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...

of Sweden. It was a

research reactor Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or marit ...

located at the

KTH Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technol ...

campus at Valhallavägen in central Stockholm, in the rock beneath the current-day Q buildings. The reactor was active from July 13, 1954 to June 6, 1970. The reactor was dismantled, and there is nothing left of it today; the reactor hall however still exists.

History

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

came to a close, the Swedish government in 1950 formed a group of physicists and engineers to study and learn more about the basics – reactor physics, radiation, materials, etc. – but also to produce medical isotopes. The capacity of the reactor was originally 300 kW but was later increased to 1 MW. ''R1'' was housed in a large hall reminiscent of a cathedral giving it the nickname the “Cathedral of Science and Technology”. Rolf Sievert served as the head of the radiation department at

and gave the approval to run the reactor. ''R1'' was soon overtaken by

Studsvik Studsvik is a supplier of nuclear analysis software and specialised services to the international nuclear industry. The company is headquartered in Nyköping, Sweden, and has five divisions: Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and ...

for nuclear research and on June 6, 1970 ''R1'' was dismantled.

Today

After being dismantled, the hall that ''R1'' sat was deemed safe and was used for events like art exhibitions, concerts and music videos due to its interesting aesthetic and acoustics. It is open to the public during limited times for tours. In 2016, the reactor hall was used to film the music video for

Alan Walker Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian music producer and DJ primarily known for the critically acclaimed single "Faded (Alan Walker song), Faded" (2015), which was certified platinum in 14 countries. He has also mad ...

's song ''

Faded (Restrung) "Faded" is a song by British-Norwegian record producer and DJ Alan Walker with vocals provided by Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim. The single was originally set to be released on 25 November 2015, but was postponed to 3 December. The song was h ...

''. The video was released on 11 February 2016.

Images

References

Nuclear research reactors KTH Royal Institute of Technology Nuclear technology in Sweden Nuclear weapons programme of Sweden 1954 in science 1954 establishments in Sweden 1970 disestablishments History of Stockholm Defunct nuclear reactors {{Sweden-hist-stub