Björkborn Manor ( sv, Björkborns herrgård, ) is a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...

and the very last residence of

Alfred Nobel Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize, though he also ...

in Sweden. The manor is located in

Karlskoga Municipality Karlskoga Municipality (''Karlskoga kommun'') is a municipality in Örebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Karlskoga. Other localities include Valåsen och Labbsand, Kortfors, Linnebäck and Villingsberg. Karlsko ...

Örebro County Örebro County ( sv, Örebro län) is a county or ''län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly no ...

, Sweden. The current-standing white-colored manor house was built in the 1810s, but the history of the property is older. Björkborn Manor is the site of an Alfred Nobel museum. It had a role in the process of the creation of the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

and the Nobel Foundation. Björkborn is located within a park-like garden, that is bordered by a river to the west and south, and by an industrial area to the north.

History

First house on the site

Established as an

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

in 1639, by Mårten Drost. Crispin Flygge acquired the property in the 1670s, then passed it over to his widow, . In 1703, Björkborn was acquired by Jakob Christiansson Robsahm. The former-standing manor was built in the 17th century. It included a park-like garden, but which plants were grown is unknown. The Björkborn Ironworks was wound down in 1901. The ironworks was powered by the surrounding waterfalls.

Current-standing house

The current manor was completed in 1814 with the purpose of serving as residence for the family who owned Björkborn

Ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

. Robsahm's descendants resided at the property until the 19th century. After the Robsahm era was over, it was acquired by

Olof Philip Oxehufvud Olof Philip Oxehufvud (; 25 August 1797 – 22 March 1857), was a Swedish jurist and ''hovjunkare''. Life and work Olof Philip Oxehufvud was born into the Oxehufvud family. He was the first of seven children to Bo Oxehufvud and Christina Bond ...

. In 1873, K.G. Oxehufvud sold the properties to the

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Located ...

-Gullspång company. Few remains are preserved of the ironworks. Over the years, the manor has served as residence for members of various prominent Swedish families, e.g. the Robsahm, Geijer, Lagerhjelm, Mitander, Oxehufvud and Myhrman families.

Alfred Nobel

During the summers of 1894–1896 Alfred Nobel lived in the manor house Björkborn. Even though he died in his villa in

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and had a home in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, it was decided that his residence was at Björkborn in Karlskoga. This allowed Nobel’s will to be adjudicated in Karlskoga. The manor was included in the purchase when Alfred Nobel acquired Bofors-Gullspång in 1894. The manor served as the very last residence of Alfred Nobel in Sweden. Before he had moved in, his nephew, Hjalmar Nobel, conducted a renovation of the building. The creation of the Nobel Foundation was led from Björkborn Manor by

Ragnar Sohlman Ragnar Sohlman (February 26, 1870 – July 9, 1948) was a Swedish chemical engineer, manager, civil servant, and creator of the Nobel Foundation. Biography Ragnar Sohlman was born in Stockholm to August Sohlman, a well-known newspaper man, ...

. A major part of Alfred Nobel’s private library is still preserved at this site.

Museum (1970s to present day)

In 1978, the Nobel Museum opened at Björkborn. The site hosts a science center, an exhibition on the Nobel Prize and an industry museum on the history of

. The site has around 10,000 annual visitors. The museum offers dramatized guided tours to the public. Conferences can also be hosted at this location.

Official visits

In 1895, the then King of Sweden,

Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norwe ...

, visited Björkborn. The current

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

and

Queen of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, ...

and Silvia, visited Björkborn Manor in 2013 during their official visit to

Notes

References

External links

Official website
* Buildings and structures completed in the 19th century Alfred Nobel Buildings and structures in Karlskoga Municipality Manor houses in Sweden Biographical museums in Sweden Museums in Örebro County {{Sweden-struct-stub Industry museums in Sweden Houses completed in 1814 Bofors