Gysinge Manor is an old iron works on the shores of the Dal River, one of Sweden’s largest rivers, in the very south of Sandviken municipality. Established in 1668, a grand house completed in 1851 and sold for 100 SEK (£9) in the 1980s. 

Gysinge was founded by Peder Swensson Printz in 1668 following an approval to establish a furnace at the site. In 1677 an Iron works was established that produced material for the Swedish army. 

A wooden manor house was built at the end of the 1600s in Carolean style. It was haunted by fire in the early 1800s and all that remains is the clock tower that still today can be seen atop of the old orangery. 

Gysinge saw its peak under Michael Benedicks, a German born who through his partnership with Jeweler Aaron Isaac moved to Sweden during the 1790s. Business was good and in September 1820 he acquired Gysinge from the Bedoire family who had been less fortunate and due to lack of money the manor was in ill condition. Together with his sons, he  restored Gysinge completely and made it into one of the leading iron works in the country. This needed to be manifested so in 1832 he commissioned a new manor to be built following drawings by Carl Christoffer Gjörwell. 

Benedicks died in 1845 but according to his will the heirs were tasked to complete the house and six years later his final wish was fulfilled. A grand manor house stood proudly over the Dal River. 

Operations came to a complete halt in 1926 and the house was left more or less abandoned. In 1969 it was decided that the house should be demolished but building entrepreneur Anders Diös was able to buy it for 100 SEK before the demolition plans were put to work. He, in turn, sold it to the Swedish National Pensioners’ Organisation for, once again, 100 SEK. The organisation decided to put some effort into it and refurbished it completely. Since 1982 it serves as their conference facility where they offer courses and events. It is by all means a popular place to visit and when we took the photos it was amidst a very well visited autumn market.

Photo: Lokal_Profil, Wikimedia