Tabergs gruva

Useful Information

Location:	Taberg. 12 km south of Jönköping.
Open:	JUL to 10-AUG daily 14:30-18. [2005]
Fee:
Classification:
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Short tour: D=1 h. Long tour: D=2 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Gruvgården, Östra Järnvägsgatan, 56242 Taberg, Tel: +46-36-64223. Jönköpings turistbyrå, Tel: +46-36-105050. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1300	ore discovered and first mining.
14??	first written account of the smelting of the ore by Kåperydsån.
1618	Gustav II Adolf interested in the iron ore.
1621	Gustav II Adolf develops the mining and opens a rifle factory at Jönköping which used the ore.
1684	rifle factory moved to Huskvarna, exists until today as Huskvarna AB.
19-AUG-1741	visited by Carl von Linné.
1829	vanadium discovered in ores from Taberg.
1880	the now railroad brings cheaper ore from outside and demand collapses, mine closes.
1939	reopened for war production.
1960	finally closed.

Geology

The Taberg is a ore massive constisting of Fe-Ti-V ores. The titanomagnetites and olivinites are about 1.2 Billion years old.

Description

The ore at Tabergs gruva (Taberg mine) is of good quality but hard to mine and the deposit is not very big. It was primarly developed by Gustav II Adolf for the production of rifles. When he developed the mine he also built a rifle factory at Jönköping which used the ore. The reason was the chemical composition of the ore, which made a much more tenacious iron and was very good for weapons. Probably this was a result of the special elements which are found in the ore, vanadium is still used to produce high quality steel.

Today the mine is a famous place for bats, nine of the 16 known kinds of bats of Sweden are found in the mine, six of them hibernate in the mine. And the surrounding minig area is full of rare plants. An area of about 50 ha has been converted into a nature reserve.

At nearby Norrahammar the Industri Museum (Industrial Museum) exists. It concentrates on the industrial development based on the important iron ores. Beneath machinery and equipment, there are also exhibits on daily life, trade, and merchandise.