SW23 Guided city tour in Eskiltuna

Eskilstuna is a city between the large lakes of Mälaren and Hjälmaren. It s the 15th largest municipality in Sweden. Earlier known as the City of Steel, it has a long history of metal processing. It is still today home to some heavy industry with companies such as Volvo, Assa, and Outokumpu.

Students have discovered the small old village in the city center. The Rademacher Forges have played an important part in the development of Eskilstuna. Here the metal processing lasted for 350 years. Today the area is a cultural reserve and acts as an open-air museum. They saw the outdoor exhibition, they encounter people who lived there around the end of the 17th century. It was known as Manufakturiet, the Factory. It was from these workshops that the Crown commissioned scissors, knives, awls, locks, needles, gun barrels, window fittings, candlesticks, bridles and many other useful things. In 1671, around 180 people lived in the twenty wellings. About half were Germans, Finns and Walloons, the rest were Swedishs. These hammering, bawdy, bread-making, beer-brewing, child bearing, unruly, filing, completely ordinary citizens are brought to life in old court records. Other highlights places were visited. The church in Tuna was in use as a monastery by the Order of Saint John from the 13th century. Students saw the city museum located in the center and offers exhibitions with a local touch. This is the place to get further insight into the city’s past and present.
A copy of Eskilstunakistan can be found at the Eskilstuna Kloster Church. It is a stone chest, a Christian grave monument, with engravings similar to the ones found on rune stones. 

Students discover the city and know the important places. The students had a nice walk all together in a cheerful mood. It was the occasion to discover the 15th biggest swedish city.