About Lesjöfors Museum

Welcome to a small Swedish rural community in the 20th century! Lesjöfors Museum is a locally rooted museum that puts the ordinary person at the center. This is our heritage and shared memory for the region’s future generations.

The museum is a unique museum in many ways that has developed over decades. It provides a rich description of the work and living conditions of a few generations, and an understanding of the changes society has undergone during the latter part of the 20th century.

The stories of a society that are shown here has existed in many places in Sweden. Here, the history of the 20th century is embodied with a perspective on the societal transformations that have shaped our society.

The history of the Museum

Lesjöfors was one of Sweden’s many mill towns that fell silent during the latter part of the 20th century. The mills that had previously been the engine of society stopped. When Lesjöfors Aktiebolag went bankrupt in 1985, large parts of the mill’s old premises were empty.

But there were visions. The visual artist Larseric Vänerlöf had an idea. He had a clear picture of what would become the Lesjöfors Museum, and the Bergslagsdelegationen. And the County Labour Boardand Filipstad Municipality supported him. With the help of the cultural association Rikoschetten and Vänerlöf’s clear goal and hard work, the vision became a reality and the first part of the museum was inaugurated in 1990.