English Channel (Sweden)

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English Canal ( Swedish Engelska kanalen ) is the name of an unfinished construction project between the northern Swedish cities of Gällivare and Luleå . The canal was to be used to transport iron ore from the region's deposits .

Large iron ore deposits were discovered near Gällivare as early as the 1650s. However, they were mostly refrained from mining because there were no ways to transport the ore to the coast, where it could be loaded onto ships. One of the projects discussed was a horse-drawn tram . In 1863 the decision was made to canalize the Lule älv from the sea to the confluence of the source rivers Großer and Kleiner Lule älv. This should also bypass the Edeforsen and Hedenforsarna rapids .

A public company founded in Sweden in 1863 was registered in London as Gellivare Company Limited in 1864 because it was easier to raise money there. During the most intensive construction phase, around 1,500 people were involved in building the canal. Soon there were financial bottlenecks and disputes with the residents of the region, which could only be appeased through the use of the military. The Swedish merchant Victor Kjellberg, who is considered the driving force of the project was in 1864 in bankruptcy . Due to government bonds and private donations, construction could drag on until 1867, when the public limited company was also insolvent .

The clearest remains of the canal project can be found today near the villa area Trångfors on the outskirts of the city of Boden . In 1989 these were given the status of a historical building . The visible depression in the ground is sometimes referred to in Swedish as Engelska graven , which is a play on the Swedish word grav , which can mean both ditch and grave / coffin.

After this unsuccessful venture, it took until 1888 for profitable ore mining to take place in the region. This was triggered by the construction of the ore railway . This building, too, was initially the project of a British company.

literature

  • Ulla Sundén, Engelska kanalen - Ett industriprojekt i Norrbotten PDF (Swedish)

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