Gusum is a locality in the historical province of Östergötland in the eastern part of Sweden. It is a former company town that centered around the production at its old brass mill. Today the locality has around 1.100 inhabitants and is a part of Valdemarsvik Municipality in Östergötland County.
A Short History of Gusum
Gusum was originally a farmstead that in the 17th century was turned into an ironworks that became the center of a company town. The ironworks included a blast furnace and the manufacturing of artillery units. In addition, a brass mill was built in the early 1660s. Neither of the productions was successful. The ironworks were demolished already in 1665 and the brass mill burned down in 1677.
The brass mill was restored and the manufacturing here continued to develop. Manufacturing has continued until today, even though the owners have changed many times over the centuries. Well, it is the brass mill that has survived. It moved to new facilities in 1966. The production at the old site closed in 1994 after many parts of the production that hadn’t moved in 1966 had been sold off. What is left is the company Nordic Brass Gusum.
Things to Do and See
The center of Gusum includes a small grocery store and the local pizzeria. Between these is a small park and space for parking. But for visitors, it is most likely the industrial history of the locality that is the most interesting. There are still large factories, but also signs of the past. The river Gusumsån offers some interesting views and activities as well.
Gusums Bruksmuseum
Some distance from the center, right next to Road E22 is the museum dedicated to the local mill. The exhibition is a pick of objects from the area’s earlier production.
Gusum Church
Gusum Church is a bit to the south of the center. The church was inaugurated in 1731 and is mostly surrounded by the waters of the river Gusumsån. It is today one of the churches making up Ringarum Congregation, a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.
How to Get to Gusum
- Flights: The closest airports are Norrköping Airport (NRK) 43 kilometers away and Linköping Airport (LPI) 73 kilometers away.
- Car: Gusum is on road E22 between Söderköping and Vademarsvik.
- Bus: Local buses from Östgötatrafiken connect Gusum with the surrounding region.
- Train: There is no train station in the vicinity. the closest station is in Åtvidaberg.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 211 kilometers (2 h 37 min)
- Gothenburg – 344 kilometers (3 h 59 min)
- Malmö – 422 kilometers (5 h 19 min)
- Linköping – 75 kilometers (1 h 4 min)
- Kiruna – 1441 kilometers (17 h 20 min)
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