Hofors' canals

There are three canals in Hofors, and only one of them was built for shipping.

Barge being loaded at Nyäng
in the early 1930ies.
A row of barges on the canal about 1909.
A row of barges on their way to Nyäng
during the 1930ies.

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Hyttkanalen

This canal was built from 1872 to 1877 from Hammardammen to Hyttdammarna. The aim was to deliver water to the industries planned here. The first ironwork started in 1878, and from then up to today this canal has delivered the necessary water for different processes and for cooling.
From the beginning until the 1920ies there were washingbridges by the canal. Until the 1950ies there were plenty of crayfish in the canal, but nowadays the canal is populated by wild ducks.
The canal is 450 meters long, 5 meters wide and 1,5 meters deep.

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Sågkanalen

In 1894 to 1895 a canal was built between Tolvströmmen and Dammfallet powerstation. It also used to power a sawmill. Tolvströmmen takes it's water from lake Tolven, some four kilometers north of Hofors.
When the water have passed the powerplant it continues to Hyttkanalen.
The canal is 350 meters long and was also used for timber driving to a sawmill built in 1899 to 1900. From the sawmill to the powerplant the canal ran through a wooden tube. When the sawmill stopped some years ago the tube was rebuilt in concrete.

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The Långnäs-Lillgösken canal

A canal for transport of iron ore was built in 1871. This canal was 1250 meters and ran from Långnäs to lake Lillgösken. The canal was also used for power. A water wheel close to the mine at Nyäng gave power for elevator frame and the pumps that got water out of the mine.
The importance for transports on this canal cannot be overestimated. During more then 50 years the ore from the three mines at Nyäng, Penninge and Stoll were transported via the canal, as well as limestone from Vingesbacke. Also ore from the mines at Göske and Myggbo south of the lake Storgösken, frequently used this canal.
At the harbour in Långnäs the small wooden barges were loaded and pulled through the canal to lake Lillgösken. The barges were rowed across the lake and after that pulled through the Ho creek to the Ho lakeand the quae at Hofors mill.
Later powerboats were bought to drag the barges all the way, but still the ore were loaded directly on the barges, why it took rather long time to load and unload. Later the ore was transported in hampers, used both on the barges and on the small railways from the mines to the harbour.
Transports like this had one disadvantage, it could only be used when there was no ice on the lakes and the canal, so in 1938 the transports were transferred to lorries.
You can still see the canal. The most northern and the most southern parts are still intact, while the middle of the canal is partly culverted and parts filled to half it's width.
The canal was 4 meters wide and 1,5 meters deep. There was no other traffic than the ore transports.

Sources: Hofors Hembygdsförening supplied facts and pictures via Hans Henriksson. Texts written by Ingvar Dandanell in November 2000.
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Barge being loaded at Nyäng in the early 1930ies.	A row of barges on the canal about 1909.	A row of barges on their way to Nyäng during the 1930ies.