In the forests of Uppland, you can find the small settlement and former ironworks of Bennebol. This is an old company town with a long industrial heritage in the processing of iron ore. There are currently no people living in the area around the old ironworks, just three people are registered at the farmstead a bit to the north that shares the name. This area is today part of Uppsala Municipality in Uppsala County but was earlier governed by the Bladåker Parish.
A Short History of Bennebol
Gustaf Otto Stenbock, a Swedish admiral, purchased Bennebol in 1676. Just a few years later in 1680, he built the first blast furnace here and the time of the ironworks had begun. The iron ore was transported from the Björsta Mine in Harg Parish, but later also from the mines of Dannemora. The production consisted of pig iron and continued until 1884. The pig iron was then used in the production at the ironworks in Harg that shared the same ownership. After more than 200 years as an ironworks, a sawmill was built to use the power of the local river that the ironworks no longer used. The new business did, however, cease operation in 1917.
Things to Do and See
It is the ironworks that is the main and maybe only attraction here. There is, however, a lot of nature to explore here, and the hiking trail Upplandsleden passes through the area with Stage 7 from Knutby and Stage 8 continuing to Pansarudden.
Bennebol Ironworks
Most of Bennebol Ironworks still stands today with the blast furnace and other industrial buildings. This former company town is an industrial heritage that is possible to visit and explore. The building complex is impressive as it stands there in the clearing of the much larger forest.
Do keep in mind that this is considered to be one of the more polluted areas within Uppsala County. There is still arsenic in the ground.
How to Get to Bennebol
- Flights: Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) is 52 kilometers to the southwest.
- Car: Bennebol is along countryside roads northeast of Knutby.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 95 kilometers (1 h 21 min)
- Gothenburg – 504 kilometers (6 h 14 min)
- Malmö – 703 kilometers (8 h 8 min)
- Linköping – 292 kilometers (3 h 25 min)
- Kiruna – 1213 kilometers (14 h 5 min)
Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden
