Surahammar ( or ) is a locality and the seat of Surahammar Municipality in

Västmanland County Västmanland County () is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Södermanland County, Södermanland, Örebro County, Örebro, Gävleborg County, Gävleborg, Dalarna County, Dalarna and Uppsala Coun ...

, Sweden, with 6,179 inhabitants in 2010.

History

During the reign of

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

, there was a hammer in Surahammar. However, it is not known when the operation started, but it must have been before the year 1561. In 1637, a hammer with two hearths was erected by

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (; 1583–1654) was a Swedish statesman and Count of Södermöre. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of ...

on the site where the current mill is located. In 1866, railway wheels and axles began to be manufactured and have been an important part of production ever since. Towards the end of the 19th century, the sale of railway material declined. The mill's subsidiary Vagnfabriks-Aktiebolaget in Södertälge (Vabis) was therefore looking for new products to sell. The newly hired engineer Gustaf Erikson was sent on a study trip to Europe and back in Surahammar he built Sweden's first

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal comb ...

car, which was his own construction with a

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

engine. Vabi's first car hit the market in 1901.

Culture and sights

Hembygdsgården contains historic buildings with objects, serving all year round at events. The stone house is used for art exhibitions and is also the start and finish of the 2.5 km "historical walk" with information boards with unique historical images. The Golden Wheel MC Museum contains, in addition to motorcycles and bicycles, a drivable replica of Sweden's first car, Gustaf Eriksson's carriage from 1897. The museum building has unique murals. Surahammar's mills museum shows the production chain from pig iron to railway wheels.

References

Municipal seats of Västmanland County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Surahammar Municipality {{Västmanland-geo-stub