Stjernsund and Göta kanal: Interdependence Between Nineteenth-Century Transport Infrastructure and the Iron Industry

Göta kanal is one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in Sweden. It was carried out during the period 1810–1832. Together with another canal stretch Göta kanal provided a complete passage between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The canal projects often linked improved transport facilities to commercial interests and, to a varying extent, to the requirements of the State. The objective in this chapter is to further describe the interdependence between the Göta kanal project and the iron mill operations related to the manor Stjernsund, both located in adjacent regions in mid-Sweden. Issues investigated include a focus on the extensive operations carried out in the iron mills connected to Stjernsund owned by Olof Burenstam, one of Sweden’s most active industrialists in this time period. The analysis also includes more political contexts, with the Göta kanal project being one of the most central political issues during the period under investigation. The study links Olof Burenstam’s mill enterprises and financial activities with the Göta kanal project in a more elaborate way than what has previously been demonstrated. There were personal connections, business connections and financial connections involving the actors of the canal project and the mill operations.