In Bergslagen, the Lankälven river flows through old forests and industrial environments. Millponds and small hydroelectric power stations testify to people’s efforts to use water to shape the new industries that contributed to the prosperity of Sweden as a whole.
The water in Södra Hyttan, a few tens of kilometres east of Hällefors, was dammed more than three hundred years ago to produce iron. But the dam built by the foundry has prevented fish from migrating and spawning upstream. The dam was demolished in 2017 with the help of local communities. The Lankälven river was freed up again, and trout are now able to migrate in the flowing water.
Different interests need to join forces and find a common solution when fish migration routes are opened through cultural environments. Södra Hyttan is one example of how local industrial history can be intertwined with and enriched by free, life-giving water.
