The current facilities at Ramhäll were built in a rush during WWII and were completed in 1946 as a major upgrade of the older mines in the vicinity. It comprises a collection of raw, all-concrete shapes with no decorations whatsoever, all raised in the middle of nowhere out in a very dense and vast forest. I think it is a fair assumption that the overall "look of brutality" is a direct consequence of the ongoing war. The architect simple turned on the radio and listened to what was going on in central Europe and the result was Ramhäll. As simple as that... Well, at least a guess.
Another aspect was that Ramhäll was a template for a new generation of mines with higher capacity and productivity. Apart from being entirely made of reinforced concrete, the head frame was a pioneer in that it had its complete hoist machinery in the very top of the building. At the time, the hoist machinery was typically located in a building at ground level. The massive gearbox and wheel gives a clue that the entire building must have shaken considerably when the hoist was started and gained speed.
The mine was closed in 1975, and the loss of the mine's annual ore output of some 150,000 metric tons was probably easily taken by the neighbouring and considerably larger mine, Dannemora, which survived some seventeen more years before it was closed too.
Today, all low level windows have been sealed and a vast quantity of equipment and material was simply left inside. A fair guess is that a considerable amount of equipment was left to drown down in the mine as well at the time when the water pumps were switched off. The water level in the mine is now at some 10 meters below the ground level.
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It's always a nice history lesson to go through your galleries. I like the place better in the dark, but it's interesting to see it in daylight as well. Thank you so much for sharing. When will your book be published? :)
Guest
11-Feb-2007 00:54
Ramhäll might be the most beautiful one of all of them. Like a Greek collonade, right in the middle of nowhere. At least its most brutal one. Your pictures are wonderful.